The  Pharaoh  and  the  Priest 


THE  PHARAOH 
AND  THE   PRIEST 


AN  HISTORICAL  NOVEL  OF 
ANCIENT  EGYPT 


FROM    THE 

St-°W 
ORIGINAL    POLISH    OF    ALEXANDER    GLOVATSKI 


BY 


JEREMIAH    CURTIN 

TRANSLATOR    OF    "WITH    FIRE    AND    SWORD,"     "THE    DELUGE 
"QUO    VADIS,"     ETC. 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS   FROM    PHOTOGRAPHS 


BOSTON    -    LITTLE,  BROWN 
AND     COMPANY    •      .    1902 


Copyright,  1902, 
BY  JEREMIAH  CURTIN. 

All  rights  reserved. 
Published  September,  1901. 


UNIVERSITY    PRESS    •    JOHN    WILSON 
AND    SON       •        CAMBRIDGE,    U.  S.  A. 


J 


PREFATORY  REMARKS 


THE  position  of  Ancient  Egypt  was  unique,  not  in  one, 
but  in  every  sense.  To  begin  at  the  very  foundation 
of  life  in  that  country,  we  find  that  the  soil  was  unlike  any 
other  on  earth  in  its  origin.  Every  acre  of  fruitful  land  be 
tween  the  first  cataract  and  the  sea  had  been  brought  from 
Inner  Africa,  and  each  year  additions  were  made  to  it.  Out 
of  this  mud,  borne  down  thousands  of  miles  from  the  great 
fertile  uplands  of  Abyssinia  by  rivers,  grew  everything  needed 
to  feed  and  clothe  man  and  nourish  animals.  Out  of  it  also 
was  made  the  brick  from  which  walls,  houses,  and  buildings 
of  various  uses  and  kinds  were  constructed.  Though  this  soil 
of  the  country  was  rich,  it  could  be  utilized  only  by  the  un 
ceasing  co-ordinate  efforts  of  a  whole  population  constrained 
and  directed.  To  direct  and  constrain  was  the  task  of  the 
priests  and  the  pharaohs. 

Never  have  men  worked  in  company  so  long  and  success 
fully  at  tilling  the  earth  as  the  Egyptians,  and  never  has  the 
return  been  so  continuous  and  abundant  from  land  as  in  their 
case. 

The  Nile  valley  furnished  grain  to  all  markets  accessible  by 
water;  hence  Rome,  Greece,  and  Judaea  ate  the  bread  of  Egypt. 
On  this  national  tillage  was  founded  the  greatness  of  the 
country,  for  from  it  came  the  means  to  execute  other  works, 
and  in  it  began  that  toil,  training,  and  skill  indispensable  in 
rearing  the  monuments  and  doing  those  things  which  have 
made  Egypt  famous  forever,  and  preserved  to  us  a  knowledge 
of  the  language,  religion,  modes  of  living,  and  history  of  that 
wonderful  people  who  held  the  Nile  valley.  No  civilized  per 
son  who  has  looked  on  the  pyramid  of  Ghizeh,  the  temple  of 


vi  PREFATORY    REMARKS 

Karnak,  and  the  tombs  of  the  pharaohs  in  the  Theban  region, 
can  ever  forget  them.  But  in  those  monuments  are  preserved 
things  of  far  greater  import  than  they  themselves  are.  In  the 
tombs  and  temples  of  Egypt  we  see  on  stone  and  papyrus 
how  that  immense  work  of  making  speech  visible  was  accom 
plished,  that  task  of  presenting  language  to  the  eye  instead  of 
the  ear,  and  preserving  the  spoken  word  so  as  to  give  it  to  eye 
or  ear  afterwards.  In  other  terms,  we  have  the  history  of 
writing  from  its  earliest  beginnings  to  the  point  at  which  we 
connect  it  with  the  system  used  now  by  all  civilized  nations 
excepting  the  Chinese.  In  those  monuments  are  preserved  the 
history  of  religion  in  Egypt,  not  from  the  beginning  of  human 
endeavor  to  explain  first  what  the  world  is  and  then  what  we 
ourselves  are  and  what  wre  and  the  world  mean  together, 
but  from  a  time  far  beyond  any  recorded  by  man  in  other 
places. 

Egyptians  had  the  genius  which  turned  a  narrow  strip  of 
Abyssinian  mud  and  a  triangular  patch  of  swamp  at  the  end 
of  it  into  the  most  fruitful  land  of  antiquity.  They  had  also 
that  genius  which  impels  man  to  look  out  over  the  horizon 
around  him,  see  more  than  the  material  problems  of  life, 
and  gaze  into  the  beyond,  gaze  intently  and  never  cease 
gazing  till  he  finds  what  his  mind  seeks.  It  was  the  pos 
session  of  these  two  kinds  of  genius  and  the  union  of  the 
two  which  made  the  position  of  Egypt  in  history  unique  and 
unapproachable. 

The  greatness  of  Egypt  lay  primarily  in  her  ideas,  and  was 
achieved  through  a  perfect  control  over  labor  by  intellect. 
While  this  control  was  exerted  even  approximately  in  accord 
ance  with  the  nation's  historical  calling,  it  was  effectual  and 
also  unchallenged.  But  when  the  exercise  of  power,  with  the 
blandishments  and  physical  pleasures  which  alway  attend  it, 
had  become  dearer  to  the  priesthood  and  to  pharaohs  than 
aught  else  on  earth  or  in  their  ideals,  then  began  the  epoch 
of  Egypt's  final  doom:  foreign  bondage  and  national 
ruin. 

The  action  presented  in  the  volume  before  us  relates  to  those 
days  when  the  guiding  intellect  of  Egypt  became  irrevocably 
dual,  and  when  between  the  two  parts  of  it,  the  priests  and  the 


PREFATORY   REMARKS  vii 

pharaohs,  opposition  appeared  so  clearly  defined  and  incurable 
that  the  ruin  of  both  sides  was  evident  in  the  future. 

The  ruin  of  a  pharaoh  and  the  fall  of  his  dynasty,  with  the 
rise  of  a  self-chosen  sovereign  and  a  new  line  of  rulers,  are 
the  double  consummation  in  this  novel.  The  book  ends  with 
that  climax,  but  the  fall  of  the  new  priestly  rulers  is  a  matter 
of  history,  as  is  the  destruction  wrought  on  Egypt  by  tyrants 
from  Assyria  and  Persia.  The  native  pharaohs  lost  power 
through  the  priesthood,  whose  real  interest  it  was  to  support 
them;  but  fate  found  the  priests  later  on,  and  pronounced  on 
them  also  the  .doom  of  extinction. 

Alexander  Glovatski  was  born  in  1847  in  Mashov,  a  village 
of  the  Government  of  Lublin.  He  finished  his  preliminary 
studies  in  the  Lublin  Gymnasium,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Warsaw.  He  took  part  in  the  uprising  of  1863, 
but  was  captured,  and  liberated  after  some  months'  detention. 
As  a  student  he  showed  notable  power,  and  was  exceptionally 
attracted  by  mathematics  and  science,  to  which  he  gives  much 
attention  yet,  though  occupied  mainly  in  literature. 

Glovatski's  published  works  are  in  seventeen  volumes. 
These  books,  with  the  exception  of  "The  Pharaoh  and  the 
Priest,"  are  devoted  to  modern  characters,  situations,  and  ques 
tions.  His  types  are  mainly  from  Polish  life.  Very  few  of 
his  characters  are  German  or  Russian ;  of  Polish  types  some 
are  Jewish. 

Alexander  Glovatski  is  a  true  man  of  letters,  a  real  philos 
opher,  retiring,  industrious,  and  modest.  He  spends  all  his 
winters  in  Warsaw,  and  lives  every  summer  in  the  country. 
He  permits  neither  society  nor  coteries,  nor  interests  of  any 
sort,  to  snatch  away  time  from  him,  or  influence  his  convic 
tions.  He  goes  about  as  he  chooses,  whenever  he  likes  and 
wherever  it  suits  him.  When  ready  to  work  he  sits  down  in 
his  own  house,  and  tells  the  world  carefully  and  with  kindness, 
though  not  without  irony,  what  he  sees  in  it.  What  he  sees  is 
exhibited  in  the  seventeen  volumes,  which  contain  great  and 
vivid  pictures  of  life  at  the  end  of  the  recent  century.  Men 
and  women  of  various  beliefs,  occupations,  and  values,  are 
shown  there. 


viii  PREFATORY   REMARKS 

Glovatski  is  entirely  unknown  to  Americans.  This  book 
will  present  him. 

Excepting  the  view  in  the  temple  of  Luxor  the  illustrations 
given  in  this  volume  are  from  photographs  taken  by  me  in 
1899,  while  I  was  travelling  in  Egypt. 

The  title  of  this  volume  has  been  changed  from  "The 
Pharaoh"  to  "  The  Pharaoh  and  the  Priest,"  at  the  wish  of  the 
author. 

JEREMIAH   CURTIN. 

BRISTOL,  VERMONT,  U.  S.  A., 
July  28,  1902. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Alexander  Glovatski Frontispiece 

Jeremiah  Gurtin   at  the   Statue  of    Rameses    the  Great  in 

the  Temple  of  Luxor Page    v 

Step  Pyramid „    135 

Village  of  Bedreshen  on  the  site  of  Memphis „    143 

Pyramid  of  Cheops , „    470 

The  Great  Sphinx „    475 

Statue  of  the  Pharaoh  Tutankhamen „    544) 

General  View  of  the  Ruins  of  Karnak „    582 

Tomb  of  a  Pharaoh  in  the  Libyan  Hills „    592 

Avenue  of  Sphinxes  from  the  Temple  of  Karnak  to  the  Nile     „    617 


THE  PHARAOH  AND  THE  PRIEST 


INTRODUCTION 

IN  the  northeastern  corner  of  Africa  lies  Egypt,  that  land 
of  most  ancient  civilization.  Three,  four,  and  even  five 
thousand  years  ago,  when  the  savages  of  Central  Europe 
wore  untanned  skins  for  clothing  and  were  cave-dwellers, 
Egypt  had  a  high  social  organization,  agriculture,  crafts,  and 
literature.  Above  all,  it  carried  out  engineering  works  and 
reared  immense  buildings,  the  remnants  of  which  rouse  ad 
miration  in  specialists  of  our  day. 

Egypt  is  that  rich  ravine  between  the  Libyan  sands  and  the 
Arabian  desert.  Its  depth  is  several  hundred  metres,  its 
length  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  its  average  width  barely 
five.  On  the  west  the  gently  sloping  but  naked  Libyan  hills, 
on  the  east  the  steep  and  broken  cliffs  of  Arabia  form  the  sides 
of  a  corridor  on  the  bottom  of  which  flows  the  river  Nile. 

With  the  course  of  the  river  northward  the  walls  of  the  cor 
ridor  decrease  in  height,  while  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles 
from  the  sea  they  expand  on  a  sudden,  and  the  river,  instead 
of  flowing  through  a  narrow  passage,  spreads  in  various  arms 
over  a  broad  level  plain  which  is  shaped  like  a  triangle.  This 
triangle,  called  the  Delta  of  the  Nile,  has  for  its  base  the  shore 
of  the  Mediterranean  ;  at  its  apex,  where  the  river  issues  from 
the  corridor,  stands  the  city  of  Cairo,  and  near  by  are  the  ruins 
of  Memphis,  the  ancient  capital. 

Could  a  man  rise  one  hundred  miles  in  the  air  and  gaze 
thence  upon  Egypt,  he  would  see  the  strange  outlines  of  that 
country  and  the  peculiar  changes  in  its  color.  From  that  eleva 
tion,  on  the  background  of  white  and  orange  colored  sands, 
Egypt  would  look  like  a  serpent  pushing  with  energetic  twists 

1 


2  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

through  a  desert  to  the  sea,  in  which  it  has  dipped  already  its 
triangular  head,  which  has  two  eyes,  —  the  left  Alexandria,  the 
right  Damietta. 

In  October,  when  the  Nile  inundates  Egypt,  that  long  ser 
pent  would  be  blue,  like  water.  In  February,  when  spring 
vegetation  takes  the  place  of  the  decreasing  river,  the  serpent 
would  be  green,  with  a  blue  line  along  its  body  and  a  multitude 
of  blue  veins  on  its  head ;  these  are  canals  which  cut  through 
the  Delta.  In  March  the  blue  line  would  be  narrower,  and  the 
body  of  the  serpent,  because  of  ripening  grain,  would  seem 
golden.  Finally,  in  the  first  days  of  June  the  line  of  the  Nile 
would  be  very  narrow  and  the  serpent's  body  gray  from 
dust  and  drought.  The  chief  climatic  feature  in  Egypt  is 
heat.  During  January  it  is  57°  above  zero,  in  July  99^°  ; 
sometimes  the  heat  reaches  149°  which  answers  to  the  tem 
perature  of  a  Roman  bath.  Moreover,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Mediterranean,  on  the  Delta,  rain  falls  barely  ten  times  a 
year ;  in  Upper  Egypt  it  falls  once  during  ten  years. 

In  these  conditions  Egypt,  instead  of  being  the  cradle  of 
civilization,  would  have  been  a  desert  ravine  like  one  of  those 
which  compose  the  Sahara,  if  the  waters  of  the  sacred  Nile  had 
not  brought  life  to  it  annually.  From  the  last  days  of  June 
till  the  end  of  September  the  Nile  swells  and  inundates  almost 
all  Egypt ;  from  the  end  of  October  to  the  last  days  in  May  the 
year  following  it  falls  and  exposes  gradually  lower  and  lower 
platforms  of  land.  The  waters  of  the  river  are  so  permeated 
with  mineral  and  organic  matter  that  their  color  becomes 
brownish ;  hence,  as  the  waters  decrease,  on  inundated  lands 
is  deposited  fruitful  mud  which  takes  the  place  of  the  best 
fertilizer.  Owing  to  this  mud  and  to  heat,  Egyptian  earth- 
tillers,  fenced  in  between  deserts,  have  three  harvests  yearly 
and  from  one  grain  of  seed  receive  back  about  three  hundred. 

Egypt,  however,  is  not  a  flat  plain,  but  a  rolling  country; 
some  portions  of  its  land  drink  the  blessed  waters  during  two 
or  three  months  only ;  others  do  not  see  it  every  year,  as  the 
overflow  does  not  reach  certain  points  annually.  Besides, 
seasons  of  scant  water  occur,  and  then  a  part  of  Egypt 
fails  to  receive  the  enriching  deposit.  Finally,  because  of 
heat  the  earth  dries  up  quickly,  and  then  man  has  to  irrigate 
out  of  vessels. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  3 

In  view  of  all  these  conditions  people  inhabiting  the  Nile 
valley  had  to  perish  if  they  were  weak,  or  regulate  the  water 
if  they  had  genius.     The  ancient  Egyptians  had  genius,  hence  f 
they  created  civilization. 

Six  thousand  years  ago  they  observed  that  the  Nile  rose 
when  the  sun  appeared  under  Sirius,  and  began  to  fall  when  it 
neared  the  constellation  Libra.  This  impelled  them  to  make 
astronomical  observations  and  to  measure  time. 

To  preserve  water  for  the  whole  year,  they  dug  throughout 
their  country  a  network  of  canals  many  thousand  miles  in 
length.  To  guard  against  excessive  waste  of  water,  they 
built  mighty  dams  and  dug  reservoirs,  among  which  the  arti 
ficial  lake  Moeris  occupied  three  hundred  square  kilometres  of 
surface  and  was  fifty-four  metres  deep.  Finally,  along  the  Nile 
and  the  canals  they  set  up  a  multitude  of  simple  but  practical 
hydraulic  works;  through  the  aid  of  these  they  raised  water 
and  poured  it  out  upon  the  fields ;  these  machines  were  placed 
one  or  two  stories  higher  than  the  water.  To  complete  all, 
there  was  need  to  clear  the  choked  canals  yearly,  repair  the 
dams  and  build  lofty  roads  for  the  army,  which  had  to  march 
at  all  seasons. 

These  gigantic  works  demanded  knowledge  of  astronomy, 
geometry,  mechanics,  and  architecture,  besides  a  perfect  organ 
ization.  Whether  the  task  was  the  strengthening  of  dams  or 
the  clearing  of  canals,  it  had  to  be  done  and  finished  within  a 
certain  period  over  a  great  area.  Hence  arose  the  need  of 
forming  an  army  of  laborers,  tens  of  thousands  in  number, 
acting  with  a  definite  purpose  and  under  uniform  direction,  — 
an  army  which  demanded  many  provisions,  much  means,  and 
great  auxiliary  forces. 

Egypt  established  such  an  army  of  laborers,  and  to  them 
were  due  works  renowned  during  ages.  It  seems  that  Egyptian 
priests  or  sages  created  this  army  and  then  drew  out  plans  for 
it,  while  the  kings,  or  pharaohs,  commanded.  In  consequence 
of  this  the  Egyptians  in  the  days  of  their  greatness  formed  as 
it  were  one  person,  in  which  the  priestly  order  performed  the 
role  of  mind,  the  pharaoh  was  the  will,  the  people  formed  the 
body,  and  obedience  gave  cohesion. 


4  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

In  this  way  nature,  striving  in  Egypt  for  a  work  great,  con 
tinuous,  and  ordered,  created  the  skeleton  of  a  social  organism 
for  that  country  as  follows :  the  people  labored,  the  pharaoh 
commanded,  the  priests  made  the  plans.  While  these  three 
elements  worked  unitedly  toward  the  objects  indicated  by 
nature,  society  had  strength  to  flourish  and  complete  immor 
tal  labors. 

The  mild,  gladsome,  and  by  no  means  warlike  Egyptians  were 
divided  into  two  classes, — earth-tillers  and  artisans.  Among 
earth-tillers  there  must  have  been  owners  of  small  bits  of 
land,  but  generally  earth-tillers  were  tenants  on  lands  belong 
ing  to  the  pharaohs,  the  priests,  and  the  aristocracy.  The 
artisans,  the  people  who  made  clothing,  furniture,  vessels,  and 
tools,  were  independent;  those  who  worked  at  great  edifices 
formed,  as  it  were,  an  army. 

Each  of  those  specialties,  and  particularly  architecture,  de 
manded  power  of  hauling  and  moving;  some  men  had  to  draw 
water  all  day  from  canals,  or  transport  stones  from  the  quarries 
to  where  they  were  needed.  These,  the  most  arduous  mechan 
ical  occupations,  and  above  all  work  in  the  quarries  were  carried 
on  by  criminals  condemned  by  the  courts,  or  by  prisoners 
seized  in  battle. 

The  genuine  Egyptians  had  a  bronze-colored  skin,  of  which 
they  were  very  proud,  despising  the  black  Ethiopian,  the  yel 
low  Semite,  and  the  white  European.  This  color  of  skin,  which 
enabled  them  to  distinguish  their  own  people  from  strangers, 
helped  to  keep  up  the  nation's  unity  more  strictly  than  reli 
gion,  which  a  man  may  accept,  or  language,  which  he  may 
appropriate. 

But  in  time,  when  the  edifice  of  the  state  began  to  weaken, 
foreign  elements  appeared  in  growing  numbers.  They  les 
sened  cohesion,  they  split  apart  society,  they  flooded  Egypt 
and  absorbed  the  original  inhabitants. 

The  pharaohs  governed  the  state  by  the  help  of  a  standing 
army  and  a  militia  or  police,  also  by  a  multitude  of  officials, 
from  whom  was  formed  by  degrees  an  aristocracy  of  family. 
By  his  office  the  pharaoh  was  lawgiver,  supreme  king,  highest 
judge,  chief  priest ;  he  was  the  son  of  a  god,  a  god  himself 
even.  He  accepted  divine  honors,  not  only  from  officials  and 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  5 

the  people,  but  sometimes  he  raised  altars  to  his  own  person, 
and  burnt  incense  before  images  of  himself. 

At  the  side  of  the  pharaoh  and  very  often  above  him  were 
priests,  an  order  of  sages  who  directed  the  destinies  of  the 
country. 

In  our  day  it  is  almost  impossible  to  imagine  the  extraordi 
nary  role  which  the  priests  played  in  Egypt.  They  were  in 
structors  of  rising  generations,  also  soothsayers,  hence  the 
advisers  of  mature  people,  judges  of  the  dead,  to  whom  their 
will  and  their  knowledge  guaranteed  immortality.  They  not 
only  performed  the  minute  ceremonies  of  religion  for  the  gods 
and  the  pharaohs,  but  they  healed  the  sick  as  physicians,  they 
influenced  the  course  of  public  wrorks  as  engineers,  and  also 
politics  as  astrologers,  but  above  all  they  kuew  their  own 
country  and  its  neighbors. 

In  Egyptian  history  the  first  place  is  occupied  by  the  rela 
tions  which  existed  between  the  priests  and  the  pharaohs.  Most 
frequently  the  pharaoh  laid  rich  offerings  before  the  gods  and 
built  temples.  Then  he  lived  long,  and  his  name,  with  his 
images  cut  out  on  monuments,  passed  from  generation  to 
generation,  full  of  glory.  But  many  pharaohs  reigned  for  a 
short  period  only,  and  of  some  not  merely  the  deeds,  but  the 
names  disappeared  from  record.  A  couple  of  times  it  hap 
pened  that  a  dynasty  fell,  and  straightway  the  cap  of  the 
pharaohs,  encircled  with  a  serpent,  was  taken  by  a  priest. 

Egypt  continued  to  develop  while  a  people  of  one  composi 
tion,  energetic  kings,  and  wise  priests  co-operated  for  the  com 
mon  weal.  But  a  time  came  when  the  people,  in  consequence 
of  wars,  decreased  in  number  and  lost  their  strength  through 
oppression  and  extortion;  the  intrusion  of  foreign  elements 
at  this  period  undermined  Egyptian  race  unity.  And  when 
the  energy  of  pharaohs  and  the  wisdom  of  priests  sank  in  the 
flood  of  Asiatic  luxury,  and  these  two  powers  began  to  struggle 
with  each  other  for  undivided  authority  to  plunder  the  toiling 
people,  then  Egypt  fell  under  foreign  control,  and  the  light  of 
civilized  life,  which  had  burnt  on  the  Nile  for  millenniums,  was 
extinguished. 

The  following  narrative  relates  to  the  eleventh  century  before 
Christ,  when  the  twentieth  dynasty  fell,  and  after  the  offspring 


6  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

of  the  sun,  the  eternally  living  Rameses  XIII.,  Sem-Amen- 
Herhor,  the  high  priest  of  Amon  and  ever-living  offspring  of 
the  sun,  forced  his  way  to  the  throne  and  adorned  his  head  with 
the  ureus. 


CHAPTER   I 

IN  the  thirty-third  year  of  the  happy  reign  of  Rameses  XII., 
Egypt  celebrated  two  festivals  which  filled  all  its  faithful 
inhabitants  with  pride  and  delight. 

In  the  month  of  Mechir  —  that  is,  during  January  —  the  god 
Khonsu  returned  to  Thebes  covered  with  costly  gifts.  For  three 
years  and  nine  months  he  had  travelled  in  the  country  of 
Buchten,  where  he  restored  health  to  the  king's  daughter,  Bent- 
res,  and  expelled  an  evil  spirit  not  only  from  the  royal  family, 
but  even  from  the  fortress. 

So  in  the  month  Farmuti  (February)  Mer-Ameu-Rameses  XII., 
the  lord  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  the  ruler  of  Phoenicia  and 
nine  nations,  after  consultation  with  the  gods  to  whom  he  was 
equal,  named  as  erpatr,  or  heir  to  the  throne,  his  son,  aged 
twenty  years,  Cham-Sem-Merer-Amen-Raraeses. 

This  choice  delighted  the  pious  priests,  the  worthy  nomarchs, 
the  valiant  army,  the  faithful  people,  and  every  creature  living 
in  Egypt,  because  the  older  sons  of  the  pharaoh,  who  were  born 
of  a  Hittite  princess,  had  been  visited  by  an  evil  spirit  through 
enchantments  which  no  one  had  the  power  to  investigate.  One 
son  of  twenty-seven  years  was  unable  to  walk  after  reaching  ma 
turity  ;  the  second  opened  his  veins  and  died  ;  the  third,  through 
poisoned  wine,  which  he  would  not  cease  drinking,  fell  into 
madness,  and  believing  himself  a  monkey,  passed  whole  days 
among  tree  branches. 

But  the  fourth  son,  Rameses,  born  of  Queen  Nikotris, 
daughter  of  the  priest  Amenhotep,  was  as  strong  as  the  bull 
Apis,  as  brave  as  a  lion,  and  as  wise  as  the  priests.  From 
childhood  he  surrounded  himself  with  warriors,  and  while  still 
a  common  prince,  used  to  say,  — 

"If  the  gods,  instead  of  making  me  the  youngest  son  of  his 
holiness,  had  made  me  a  pharaoh,  like  Rameses  the  Great,  I 


THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST  7 

would  conquer  nine  nations,  of  which  people  in  Egypt  have 
never  heard  mention ;  I  would  build  a  temple  larger  than  all 
Thebes,  and  rear  for  myself  a  pyramid  near  which  the  tomb  of 
Cheops  would  be  like  a  rosebush  at  the  side  of  a  full-grown 
palm-tree." 

On  receiving  the  much  desired  title  of  heir,  the  young  prince 
begged  his  father  to  be  gracious  and  appoint  him  to  com 
mand  the  army  corps  of  Memphis.  To  this  his  holiness, 
Rameses  XII.,  after  consultation  with  the  gods,  to  whom  he 
was  equal,  answered  that  he  would  do  so  in  case  the  heir  could 
give  proof  that  he  had  skill  to  direct  a  mass  of  troops  arrayed 
for  battle. 

A  council  was  called  under  the  presidency  of  the  minister  of 
war,  Sem-Amen-Herhor,  high  priest  of  the  great  sanctuary  of 
Amon  in  Thebes. 

The  council  decided  in  this  way  :  "The  heir  to  the  throne,  in 
the  middle  of  the  month  Mesore,  will  take  ten  regiments,  dis 
posed  along  the  line  which  connects  Memphis  with  the  city  of 
Pi-uto,  situated  on  the  Bay  of  Sebenico. 

"  With  this  corps  of  ten  thousand  men  prepared  for  battle, 
provided  with  a  camp  and  with  military  engines,  the  heir  will 
betake  himself  eastward  along  the  highroad  from  Memphis 
toward  Hittite  regions,  which  road  lies  on  the  boundary  be 
tween  the  land  of  Goshen  and  the  wilderness.  At  this  time 
General  Nitager,  commander  of  the  army  which  guards  the 
gates  of  Egypt  from  attacks  of  Asiatic  people,  will  move  from 
the  Bitter  Lakes  against  the  heir,  Prince  Rameses. 

"  Both  armies,  the  Asiatic  and  the  Western,  are  to  meet  near 
Pi-Bailos,  but  in  the  wilderness,  so  that  industrious  husband 
men  in  the  land  of  Goshen  be  not  hindered  in  their  labors. 

"The  heir  will  be  victorious  if  he  does  not  let  himself  be  sur 
prised  by  Nitager,  that  is,  if  he  concentrates  all  his  forces 
and  succeeds  in  putting  them  in  order  of  battle  to  meet  the 
enemy. 

"  His  worthiness  Herhor,  the  minister  of  war,  will  be  pres 
ent  in  the  camp  of  Prince  Rameses,  and  will  report  to  the 
pharaoh." 

Two  ways  of  communication  formed  the  boundary  between 


8  THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE   PRIEST 

the  land  of  Goshen  and  the  desert.  One  was  the  transport 
canal  from  Memphis  to  Lake  Timrah ;  the  other  was  the 
highroad.  The  canal  was  in  the  land  of  Goshen,  the  high 
road  in  the  desert  which  both  ways  bounded  with  a  half 
circle. 

The  canal  was  visible  from  almost  every  point  upon  the 
highroad.  Whatever  artificial  boundaries  might  be,  these 
neighboring  regions  differed  in  all  regards.  The  land  of 
Goshen,  though  a  rolling  country,  seemed  a  plain  ;  the  desert 
was  composed  of  limestone  hills  and  sandy  valleys.  The  land 
of  Goshen  seemed  a  gigantic  chessboard  the  green  and  yellow 
squares  of  which  were  indicated  by  the  color  of  grain  and  by 
palms  growing  on  their  boundaries  ;  but  on  the  ruddy  sand  of 
the  desert  and  its  white  hills  a  patch  of  green  or  a  clump  of 
trees  and  bushes  seemed  like  a  lost  traveller. 

On  the  fertile  land  of  Goshen  from  each  hill  shot  up  a  dark 
grove  of  acacias,  sycamores,  and  tamarinds  which  from  a  dis 
tance  looked  like  our  lime-trees  ;  among  these  were  concealed 
villas  with  rows  of  short  columns,  or  the  yellow  mud  huts  of 
earth-tillers.  Sometimes  near  the  grove  was  a  white  village 
with  flat-roofed  houses,  or  above  the  trees  rose  the  pyramidal 
gates  of  a  temple,  like  double  cliffs,  many-colored  with  strange 
characters.  From  the  desert  beyond  the  first  row  of  hills,  which 
were  a  little  green,  stared  naked  elevations  covered  with  blocks 
of  stone.  It  seemed  as  if  the  western  region,  sated  with  excess 
of  life,  hurled  with  regal  generosity  to  the  other  side  flowers 
and  vegetables,  but  the  desert  in  eternal  hunger  devoured  them 
in  the  following  year  and  turned  them  into  ashes. 

The  stunted  vegetation,  exiled  to  cliffs  and  sands,  clung  to 
the  lower  places  until,  by  means  of  ditches  made  in  the  sides  of 
the  raised  highroad,  men  conducted  water  from  the  canals  to  it. 
In  fact,  hidden  oases  between  naked  hills  along  that  highway 
drank  in  the  divine  water.  In  these  oases  grew  wheat,  barley, 
grapes,  palms,  and  tamarinds.  The  whole  of  such  an  oasis 
was  sometimes  occupied  by  one  family,  which  when  it  met  an 
other  like  itself  at  the  market  in  Pi-Bailos  might  not  even  know 
that  they  were  neighbors  in  the  desert. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  Mesore  the  concentration  of  troops 
was  almost  finished.  The  regiments  of  Prince  Rameses,  which 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  9 

were  to  meet  the  Asiatic  forces  of  Nilager,  had  assembled  on 
the  road  above  the  city  of  Pi-Bailos  with  their  camp  and  with 
some  military  engines. 

The  heir  himself  directed  all  the  movements.  He  had  or 
ganized  two  parties  of  scouts.  Of  these  the  first  had  to  watch 
the  enemy,  the  other  to  guard  its  own  army  from  attack,  which 
was  possible  in  a  hilly  region  with  many  ravines.  Rameses, 
in  the  course  of  a  week,  rode  around  and  examined  all  the  regi 
ments,  marching  by  various  roads,  looking  carefully  to  see  if  the 
soldiers  had  good  weapons  and  warm  mantles  for  the  night 
hours,  if  in  the  camps  there  was  dried  bread  in  sufficiency  as 
well  as  meat  and  dried  fish.  He  commanded,  besides,  that  the 
wives,  children,  and  slaves  of  warriors  marching  to  the  eastern 
boundary  should  be  conveyed  by  canal ;  this  diminished  the 
number  of  chariots  and  eased  the  movements  of  the  army. 

The  oldest  generals  admired  the  zeal,  knowledge,  and  caution 
of  the  heir,  and,  above  all,  his  simplicity  and  love  of  labor.  His 
court,  which  was  numerous,  his  splendid  tent,  chariots,  and 
litters  were  left  in  the  capital,  and,  dressed  as  a  simple  officer, 
he  hurried  from  regiment  to  regiment  on  horseback,  in  Assyrian 
fashion,  attended  by  two  adjutants. 

Thanks  to  this  concentration,  the  corps  itself  went  forward 
very  swiftly,  and  the  army  was  near  Pi-Bailos  at  the  time 
appointed. 

It  was  different  with  the  prince's  staff,  and  the  Greek  regiment 
accompanying  it,  and  with  some  who  moved  military  engines. 

The  staff,  collected  in  Memphis,  had  the  shortest  road  to 
travel ;  hence  it  moved  latest,  bringing  an  immense  camp  with 
it.  Nearly  every  officer,  and  they  were  young  lords  of  great 
families,  had  a  litter  with  four  negroes,  a  two-wheeled  military 
chariot,  a  rich  tent,  and  a  multitude  of  boxes  with  food  and 
clothing,  also  jars  full  of  beer  and  wine.  Besides,  a  numerous 
troop  of  singers  and  dancers,  with  music,  had  betaken  them 
selves  to  journey  behind  the  officers ;  each  woman  must,  in  the 
manner  of  a  great  lady,  have  a  car  drawn  by  one  or  two  pair  of 
oxen,  and  must  have  also  a  litter. 

When  this  throng  poured  out  of  Memphis,  it  occupied  more 
space  on  the  highway  than  the  army  of  Prince  Rameses. 
The  march  was  so  slow  that  the  military  engines  which  were 


10  THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST 

left  at  the  rear  moved  twenty-four  hours  later  than  was 
ordered.  To  complete  every  evil  the  female  dancers  and 
singers,  on  seeing  the  desert,  not  at  all  dreadful  in  that  place, 
were  terrified  and  fell  to  weeping.  To  calm  these  women  it 
was  necessary  to  hasten  with  the  night  camp,  pitch  tents, 
arrange  a  spectacle,  and  a  feast  afterward. 

The  night  amusement  in  the  cool,  under  the  starry  sky,  with 
wild  nature  for  a  background,  pleased  dancers  and  singers 
exceedingly ;  they  declared  that  they  would  travel  thenceforth 
only  through  the  desert.  Meanwhile  Prince  Rameses  sent  an 
order  to  turn  all  women  back  to  Memphis  at  the  earliest  and 
urge  the  march  forward. 

His  dignity  Herhor,  minister  of  war,  was  with  the  staff,  but 
only  as  a  spectator.  He  had  not  brought  singers  himself,  but 
he  made  no  remarks  to  officers.  He  gave  command  to  carry 
his  litter  at  the  head  of  the  column,  and  accommodating  himself 
to  its  movements,  advanced  or  rested  under  the  immense  fan 
with  which  his  adjutant  shaded  him. 

Herhor  was  a  man  of  forty  and  some  years  of  age,  strongly 
built,  concentrated  in  character.  He  spoke  rarely,  and  looked 
at  people  as  rarely  from  under  his  drooping  eyelids.  He 
went  with  arms  and  legs  bare,  like  every  Egyptian,  his  breast 
exposed ;  he  had  sandals  on  his  feet,  a  short  skirt  about  his 
hips,  an  apron  with  blue  and  white  stripes.  As  a  priest,  he 
shaved  his  beard  and  hair  and  wore  a  panther  skin  hanging 
from  his  left  shoulder.  As  a  soldier,  he  covered  his  head  with 
a  small  helmet  of  the  guard  ;  from  under  this  helmet  hung  a  ker 
chief,  also  in  blue  and  white  stripes  ;  this  reached  his  shoulders. 
Around  his  neck  was  a  triple  gold  chain,  and  under  his  left 
arm  a  short  sword  in  a  costly  scabbard.  His  litter,  borne 
by  six  black  slaves,  was  attended  always  by  three  persons : 
one  carried  his  fan,  another  the  mace  of  the  minister,  and  the 
third  a  box  for  papyrus.  This  third  man  was  Pentuer,  a 
priest,  and  the  secretary  of  Herhor.  He  was  a  lean  ascetic 
who  in  the  greatest  heat  never  covered  his  shaven  head.  He 
came  of  the  people,  but  in  spite  of  low  birth  he  occupied  a 
high  position  in  the  state ;  this  was  due  to  exceptional  abilities. 

Though  the  minister  with  his  officials  preceded  the  staff  and 
held  himself  apart  from  its  movements,  it  could  not  be  said 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST  11 

that  he  was  unconscious  of  what  was  happening  behind  him. 
Every  hour,  at  times  every  half  hour,  some  one  approached 
Herhor's  litter,  —  now  a  priest  of  lower  rank,  an  ordinary 
44  servant  of  the  gods,"  a  marauding  soldier,  a  freedman,  or  a 
slave,  who,  passing  as  it  were  indifferently  the  silent  retinue 
of  the  minister,  threw  out  a  word.  That  word  Pentuer 
recorded  sometimes,  but  more  frequently  he  remembered  it, 
for  his  memory  was  amazing. 

No  one  in  the  noisy  throng  of  the  staff  paid  attention  to 
these  details.  The  officers,  sons  of  great  lords,  were  too  much 
occupied  by  running,  by  noisy  conversation,  or  by  singing,  to 
notice  who  approached  the  minister ;  all  the  more  since  a  multi 
tude  of  people  were  pushing  along  the  highway. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  Mesore  the  staff  of  Prince  Rameses,  to 
gether  with  his  dignity  the  minister,  passed  the  night  under  the 
open  sky  at  the  distance  of  five  miles  from  the  regiments  which 
were  arranged  in  battle  order  across  the  highway  beyond  the 
city  of  Pi-Bailos. 

In  that  early  morning  which  precedes  our  six  o'clock,  the 
hills  grew  violet,  and  from  behind  them  came  forth  the  sun. 
A  rosy  light  flowed  over  the  land  of  Goshen.  Villages,  temples, 
palaces  of  magnates,  and  huts  of  earth- tillers  looked  like  sparks 
and  flames  which  flashed  up  in  one  moment  from  the  midst  of 
green  spaces.  Soon  the  western  horizon  was  flooded  with  a 
golden  hue,  and  the  green  land  of  Goshen  seemed  melting  into 
gold,  and  the  numberless  canals  seemed  filled  with  molten 
silver.  But  the  desert  hills  grew  still  more  marked  with  violet, 
and  cast  long  shadows  on  the  sands,  and  darkness  on  the  plant 
world. 

The  guards  who  stood  along  that  highway  could  see  with  the 
utmost  clearness  fields,  edged  with  palms,  beyond  the  canal. 
Some  fields  were  green  with  flax,  wheat,  clover ;  others  were 
gilded  with  ripening  barley  of  the  second  growth.  Now  earth- 
tillers  began  to  come  out  to  field  labor,  from  huts  concealed 
among  trees ;  they  were  naked  and  bronze-hued ;  their  whole 
dress  was  a  short  skirt  and  a  cap.  Some  turned  to  canals  to 
clear  them  of  mud,  or  to  draw  water.  Others  dispersing  among 
the  trees  gathered  grapes  and  ripe  figs.  Many  naked  children 
stirred  about,  and  women  were  busy  in  white,  yellow,  or  red 
shirts  which  were  sleeveless. 


12  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

There  was  great  movement  in  that  region.  In  the  sky  birds 
of  prey  from  the  desert  pursued  pigeons  and  daws  in  the  land  of 
Goshen.  Along  the  canal  squeaking  sweeps  moved  up  and 
down,  with  buckets  of  fertilizing  water  ;  fruit-gatherers  appeared 
and  disappeared  among  the  trees,  like  colored  butterflies.  But 
in  the  desert,  on  the  highway,  swarmed  the  army  and  its  ser 
vants.  A  division  of  mounted  lancers  shot  past.  Behind  them 
marched  bowmen  in  caps  and  petticoats ;  they  had  bows  in 
their  hands,  quivers  on  their  shoulders,  and  broadswords  at 
their  right  sides.  The  archers  were  accompanied  by  slingers  who 
carried  bags  with  missiles  and  were  armed  with  short  swords. 

A  hundred  yards  behind  them  advanced  two  small  divisions 
of  footmen,  one  division  armed  with  darts,  the  other  with 
spears.  Both  carried  rectangular  shields  ;  on  their  breasts  they 
had  thick  coats,  as  it  were  armor,  and  on  their  heads  caps  with 
kerchiefs  behind  to  ward  off  the  sun-rays.  The  caps  and  coats 
had  blue  and  white  stripes  or  yellow  and  black  stripes,  which 
made  those  soldiers  seem  immense  hornets. 

Behind  the  advance  guard,  surrounded  by  a  retinue  of  mace- 
bearers,  pushed  on  the  litter  of  the  minister,  and  behind  it, 
with  bronze  helmets  and  breastplates,  the  Greek  companies, 
whose  measured  tread  called  to  mind  blows  of  heavy  hammers. 
In  the  rear  was  heard  the  creaking  of  vehicles,  and  from  the 
side  of  the  highway  slipped  along  the  bearded  Phoenician  mer 
chant  in  his  litter  borne  between  two  asses.  Above  all  this 
rose  a  cloud  of  golden  dust,  and  heat  also. 

Suddenly  from  the  vanguard  galloped  up  a  mounted  soldier 
and  informed  Herhor  that  Prince  Rameses,  the  heir  to  the 
throne,  was  approaching.  His  worthiness  descended  from  the 
litter,  and  at  that  moment  appeared  a  mounted  party  of  men 
who  halted  and  sprang  from  their  horses.  One  man  of  this 
party  and  the  minister  began  to  approach  each  other,  halting 
every  few  steps  and  bowing. 

"Be  greeted,  O  son  of  the  pharaoh;  may  he  live  through 
eternity  !  "  said  the  minister. 

"  Be  greeted  and  live  long,  O  holy  father ! "  answered 
Rameses  ;  then  he  added,  — 

u  Ye  advance  as  slowly  as  if  your  legs  were  sawn  off,  while 


THE    PHARAOH    AND  THE   PRIEST  13 

Nitager  will  stand  before  our  division  in  two  hours  at  the 
latest." 

44  Thou  hast  told  truth.     Thy  staff  marches  very  slowly." 

"Eunana  tells  me  also,"  here  Rameses  indicated  an  officer 
standing  behind  him  who  was  covered  with  amulets,  "  that  ye 
have  not  sent  scouts  to  search  ravines.  But  in  case  of  real 
war  an  enemy  might  attack  from  that  side/' 

44  I  am  not  the  leader,  I  am  only  a  judge,"  replied  the 
minister,  quietly. 

"  But  what  can  Patrokles  be  doing?" 

"Patrokles  is  bringing  up  the  military  engines  with  his 
Greek  regiment." 

44  But  my  relative  and  adjutant,  Tutmosis?  " 

44  He  is  sleeping  yet,  I  suppose." 

Rameses  stamped  impatiently,  and  was  silent.  He  was  a 
beautiful  youth,  with  a  face  almost  feminine,  to  which  anger 
and  sunburn  added  charm.  He  wrore  a  close-fitting  coat  with 
blue  and  white  stripes,  a  kerchief  of  the  same  color  behind  his 
helmet,  a  gold  chain  around  his  neck,  and  a  costly  sword  beneath 
his  left  arm. 

44 1  see,"  said  the  prince,  44that  thou  alone,  Eunana,  art 
mindful  of  my  honor." 

The  officer  covered  with  amulets  bent  to  the  earth. 

44  Tutmosis  is  indolent,"  said  the  heir.  4 '  Return  to  thy  place, 
Eunana.  Let  the  vanguard  at  least  have  a  leader." 

Then,  looking  at  the  suite  which  now  surrounded  him  as  if  it 
had  sprung  from  under  the  earth  on  a  sudden,  he  added,  — 

44  Bring  my  litter.     I  am  as  tired  as  a  quarry  man." 

44  Can  the  gods  grow  tired?  "  whispered  Eunana,  still  stand 
ing  behind  him. 

<4  Go  to  thy  place  !  "  said  Rameses. 

4'But  perhaps  thou  wilt  command  me,  O  image  of  the  moon, 
to  search  the  ravines?"  asked  the  officer,  in  a  low  voice. 
u  Command,  I  beg  thee,  for  wherever  I  am  my  heart  is  chasing 
after  thee  to  divine  thy  will  and  accomplish  it." 

44 1  know  that  thou  art  watchful,"  answered  Rameses.  44  Go 
now  and  look  after  everything." 

44  Holy  father,"  said  Eunana,  turning  to  the  minister,  44 1 
commend  my  most  obedient  service  to  thy  worthiness." 


14  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Barely  had  Eunana  gone  when  at  the  end  of  the  marching 
column  rose  a  still  greater  tumult.  They  looked  for  the  heir's 
litter,  but  it  was  gone.  Then  appeared,  making  his  way  through 
the  Greek  warriors,  a  youth  of  strange  exterior.  He  wore  a 
muslin  tunic,  a  richly  embroidered  apron,  and  a  golden  scarf 
across  his  shoulder.  But  he  was  distinguished  above  all  by  an 
immense  wig  with  a  multitude  of  tresses,  and  an  artificial  beard 
like  cats'  tails. 

That  was  Tutmosis,  the  first  exquisite  in  Memphis,  who 
dressed  and  perfumed  himself  even  during  marches. 

"Be  greeted,  Rameses ! "  exclaimed  the  exquisite,  pushing 
aside  officers  quickly.  "  Imagine  thy  litter  is  lost  somewhere ; 
thou  must  sit  in  mine,  which  really  is  not  fit  for  thee,  but  it  is 
not  the  worst." 

"Thou  hast  angered  me,"  answered  the  prince.  "Thou 
sleepest  instead  of  watehing  the  army." 

The  astonished  exquisite  stopped. 

4<I  sleep?"  cried  he.  "May  the  man's  tongue  wither  up 
who  invented  that  calumny!  I,  knowing  that  thou  wouldst 
come,  have  been  ready  this  hour  past,  and  am  preparing  a  bath 
for  thee  and  perfumes." 

"  While  thus  engaged,  the  regiment  is  without  a  commander.'' 

"Am  I  to  command  a  detachment  where  his  worthiness  the 
minister  of  war  is,  and  such  a  leader  is  present  as  Patrokles  ? ;' 

Rameses  was  silent;  meanwhile  Tutmosis,  approaching  him, 
whispered,  — 

"  In  what  a  plight  thou  art,  O  son  of  the  pharaoh  !  With 
out  a  wig,  thy  hair  and  dress  full  of  dust,  thy  skin  black  and 
cracked,  like  the  earth  in  summer.  The  queen,  most  deserving 
of  honor,  would  drive  me  from  the  court  were  she  to  look  at 
thy  wretchedness." 

"  I  am  only  tired." 

"  Then  take  a  seat  in  my  litter.  In  it  are  fresh  garlands  of 
roses,  roast  birds,  and  a  jug  of  wine  from  Cyprus.  I  have 
kept  also  hidden  in  the  camp,"  added  he  in  a  lower  voice, 
"  Senura." 

"  Is  she  here?"  asked  the  prince  ;  and  his  eyes,  glittering  a 
moment  before,  were  now  mist-covered. 

"Let  the  army  move  on,"  said  Tutmosis;  "we  will  wait 
here  for  her." 


THE    PHARAOH   AND  THE    PRIEST  15 

Rameses  recovered  himself. 

"  Leave  me,  tempter  !     The  battle  will  come  in  two  hours." 

"What!  a  battle?" 

"  At  least  the  decision  as  to  my  leadership." 

"  Oh,  laugh  at  it!  "  smiled  the  exquisite.  "  I  would  swear 
that  the  minister  of  war  sent  a  report  of  it  yesterday,  and  with 
it  the  petition  to  give  thee  the  corps  of  Memphis." 

"  No  matter  if  he  did.  To-day  I  have  no  thought  for  any 
thing  but  the  army." 

"  In  thee  this  wish  for  war  is  dreadful,  war  during  which  a 
man  does  not  wash  for  a  whole  month,  so  as  to  die  in  —  Brr  ! 
But  if  thou  couldst  see  Senura,  only  glance  at  her  —  " 

"  For  that  very  reason  I  shall  not  glance  at  her,"  answered 
Rameses,  decisively. 

At  the  moment  when  eight  men  were  bringing  from  beyond 
the  Greek  ranks  the  immense  litter  of  Tutmosis  for  the  use 
of  Rameses,  a  horseman  raced  in  from  the  vanguard.  He 
dropped  from  his  horse  and  ran  so  quickly  that  on  his  breast 
the  images  of  the  gods  or  the  tablets  with  their  names  rattled 
loudly.  This  was  PLunana  in  great  excitement. 

All  turned  to  him,  and  this  gave  him  pleasure  apparently. 

"  Erpatr,  the  loftiest  lips,"  cried  Eunana,  bending  before 
Rameses.  "  When,  in  accordance  with  thy  divine  command,  I 
rode  at  the  head  of  a  detachment,  looking  carefully  at  all  things, 
I  noticed  on  the  highroad  two  beautiful  scarabs.  Each  of 
these  sacred  beetles  was  rolling  an  earth  ball  toward  the  sands 
near  the  roadside  —  " 

"  What  of  that?"  interrupted  Rameses. 

"  Of  course,"  continued  Eunana,  glancing  toward  Herhor, 
"I  and  my  people,  as  piety  enjoins,  rendered  homage  to  the 
golden  symbols  of  the  sun,  and  halted.  That  augury  is  of 
such  import  that  no  man  of  us  would  make  a  step  forward 
unless  commanded." 

"I  see  that  thou  art  a  pious  Egyptian,  though  thou  hast  the 
features  of  a  Hittite,"  answered  the  worthy  Herhor ;  and  turn 
ing  to  certain  dignitaries  standing  near,  he  added,  — 

"  We  will  not  advance  farther  by  the  highway,  for  we  might 
crush  the  sacred  beetles.  Pentuer,  can  we  go  around  the 
road  by  that  ravine  on  the  right?" 


16  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 


u 


We  can,"  answered  the  secretary.  "That  ravine  is  five 
miles  long,  and  comes  out  again  almost  in  front  of  Pi- 
Bailos." 

"An  immense  loss  of  time!"  interrupted  Rameses,  in 
anger. 

"  I  would  swear  that  those  are  not  scarabs,  but  the  spirits  of 
my  Pho3nician  usurers,"  said  Tutmosis  the  exquisite.  "  Not 
being  able,  because  of  their  death,  to  receive  money  from 
me,  they  will  force  me  now  to  march  through  the  desert  in 
punishment !  " 

The  suite  of  the  prince  awaited  the  decision  with  fear ;  so 
Rameses  turned  to  Herhor,  — 

"  What  dost  thou  think  of  this,  holy  father?  " 

"Look  at  the  officers,"  answered  the  priest,  "  and  thou  wilt 
understand  that  we  must  go  by  the  ravine." 

Now  Patrokles,  leader  of  the  Greeks,  pushed  forward  and 
said  to  the  heir,  — 

"  If  the  prince  permit,  my  regiment  will  advance  by  the  high 
way.  My  soldiers  have  no  fear  of  beetles  !  " 

"  Your  soldiers  have  no  fear  of  royal  tombs  even,"  added 
the  minister.  "Still  it  cannot  be  safe  in  them  since  no  one 
has  ever  returned." 

The  Greek  pushed  back  to  the  suite  confounded. 

"  Confess,  holy  father,"  hissed  the  heir,  with  the  greatest 
anger,  "that  such  a  hindrance  would  not  stop  even  an  ass  on 
his  journey." 

"True,  but  no  ass  will  ever  be  pharaoh,"  retorted  the  minis 
ter,  calmly. 

"  In  that  case  thou,  O  minister,  wilt  lead  the  division  through 
the  ravine !"  exclaimed  Rameses.  "I  am  unacquainted  with 
priestly  tactics;  besides,  I  must  rest.  Come  with  me,  cousin," 
said  he  to  Tutmosis ;  and  he  turned  toward  some  naked  hills. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  17 


CHAPTER   II 

QTRAIGHTWAY  hiskworthiness  Herhor  directed  his  adju- 
k5  tant  who  carried  the  mace  to  take  charge  of  the  vanguard 
in  place  of  Eunana.  Then  he  commanded  that  the  military 
engines  for  hurling  great  stones  leave  the  road,  and  that  the 
Greek  soldiers  facilitate  passage  for  those  engines  in  difficult 
places.  All  vehicles  and  litters  of  staff-officers  were  to  move 
in  the  rear. 

When  Herhor  issued  commands,  the  adjutant  bearing  the  fan 
approached  Pentuer  and  asked,  — 

k '  Will  it  be  possible  to  go  by  this  highway  again  ?  " 

"Why  not?"  answered  the  young  priest.  "But  since  two 
sacred  beetles  have  barred  the  way  now,  we  must  not  go  farther ; 
some  misfortune  might  happen." 

"As  it  is,  a  misfortune  has  happened.  Or  hast  thou  not 
noticed  that  Prince  Rameses  is  angry  at  the  minister?  and  our 
lord  is  not  forgetful." 

"It  is  not  the  prince  who  is  offended  with  our  lord,  but  our 
lord  with  the  prince,  and  he  has  reproached  him.  He  has  done 
well ;  for  it  seems  to  the  young  prince,  at  present,  that  he  is  to 
be  a  second  Menes." 

"  Or  a  Rameses  the  Great,"  put  in  the  adjutant. 

"  Rameses  the  Great  obeyed  the  gods;  for  this  cause  there 
are  inscriptions  praising  him  in  all  the  temples.  But  Menes,  the 
first  pharaoh  of  Egypt,  was  a  destroyer  of  order,  and  thanks 
only  to  the  fatherly  kindness  of  the  priests  that  his  name  is 
still  remembered,  —  though  I  would  not  give  one  brass  uten  on 
this,  that  the  mummy  of  Menes  exists." 

"  My  Peutuer,"  added  the  adjutant,  "  thou  art  a  sage,  hence 
knowest  that  it  is  all  one  to  us  whether  we  have  ten  lords  or 
eleven." 

"  But  it  is  not  all  one  to  the  people  whether  they  have  to  find 
every  year  a  mountain  of  gold  for  the  priests,  or  two  mountains 
of  gold  for  the  priests  and  the  pharaoh,"  answered  Pentuer, 
while  his  eyes  flashed. 


18  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Thou  art  thinking  of  dangerous  things/'  said  the  adjutant, 
in  a  whisper. 

"  But  how  often  hast  thou  thyself  grieved  over  the  luxuries 
of  the  pharaoh's  court  and  of  the  nomarchs  ?  "  inquired  the 
priest  in  astonishment. 

"  Quiet,  quiet !     We  will  talk  of  this,  but  not  now." 

In  spite  of  the  sand  the  military  engines,  drawn  each  by  two 
bullocks,  moved  in  the  desert  more  speedily  than  along  the 
highway.  With  the  first  of  them  marched  Euuaua,  anxiously. 
"  Why  has  the  minister  deprived  me  of  leadership  over  the 
vanguard  ?  Does  he  wish  to  give  me  a  higher  position  ?  "  asked 
he  in  his  own  mind. 

Thinking  out  then  a  new  career,  and  perhaps  to  dull  the 
fears  which  made  his  heart  quiver,  he  seized  a  pole  and,  where 
the  sands  were  deeper,  propped  the  balista,  or  urged  on  the 
Greeks  with  an  outcry. 

They,  however,  paid  slight  attention  to  this  officer. 

The  retinue  had  pushed  on  a  good  half  hour  through  a  wind 
ing  ravine  with  steep  naked  walls,  when  the  vanguard  halted  a 
second  time.  At  this  point  another  ravine  crossed  the  first ;  in 
the  middle  of  it  extended  a  rather  broad  canal. 

The  courier  sent  to  the  minister  of  war  with  notice  of  the 
obstacle  brought  back  a  command  to  fill  the  canal  immediately. 

About  a  hundred  soldiers  with  pickaxes  and  shovels  rushed 
to  the  work.  Some  knocked  out  stones  from  the  cliff ;  others 
threw  them  into  the  ditch  and  covered  them  with  sand. 

Meanwhile  from  the  depth  of  the  ravine  came  a  man  with 
a  pickaxe  shaped  like  a  stork's  neck  with  the  bill  on  it.  He 
was  an  Egyptian  slave,  old  and  entirely  naked.  He  looked  f  Gi 
ft  while  with  the  utmost  amazement  at  the  work  of  the  soldiers  ; 
then,  springing  between  them  on  a  sudden,  he  shouted,  — 

"  What  are  ye  doing,  vile  people?     This  is  a  canal." 

"  But  how  darest  thou  use  evil  words  against  the  warriors  of 
his  holiness?  "  asked  Eunana,  who  stood  there. 

"  Thou  must  be  an  Egyptian  and  a  great  person,  I  see  that," 
said  the  slave;  "  so  I  answer  thee  that  this  canal  belongs 
to  a  mighty  lord  ;  he  is  the  manager  and  secretary  of  one  who 
bears  the  fan  for  his  worthiness  the  nomarch  of  Memphis.  Be 
on  thy  guard  or  misfortune  will  strike  thee !  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  19 

"  Do  your  work,"  said  Eunana,  with  a  patronizing  tone,  to 
the  Greek  soldiers  who  began  to  look  at  the  slave. 

They  did  not  understand  his  speech,  but  the  tone  of  it 
arrested  them. 

"  They  are  filling  in  all  the  time !  "  said  the  slave,  with  rising 
fear.  u  Woe  to  thee !  "  cried  he,  rushing  at  one  of  the  Greeks 
with  his  pickaxe. 

The  Greek  pulled  it  from  the  man,  struck  him  on  the  mouth, 
and  brought  blood  to  his  lips ;  then  he  threw  sand  into  the 
canal  again. 

The  slave,  stunned  by  the  blow,  lost  courage  and  fell  to 
imploring. 

"  Lord,"  said  he,  "  I  dug  this  canal  alone  for  ten  years,  in 
the  night  time  and  during  festivals !  My  master  promised 
that  if  I  should  bring  water  to  this  little  valley  he  would 
make  me  a  servant  in  it,  give  me  one  fifth  of  the  harvests, 
and  grant  me  freedom  —  do  you  hear  ?  Freedom  to  me  and 
my  three  children  !  —  O  gods  !  " 

He  raised  his  hands  and  turned  again  to  Eunana,  — 

u  They  do  not  understand  me,  these  Vagrants  from  beyond 
the  sea,  descendants  of  dogs,  brothers  to  Jews  and  Phoenicians  ! 
But  listen,  lord,  to  me !  For  ten  years,  while  other  men  went 
to  fairs  and  dances  or  sacred  processions,  I  stole  out  into  this 
dreary  ravine.  I  did  not  go  to  the  grave  of  my  mother,  I  only 
dug ;  I  forgot  the  dead  so  as  to  give  freedom  with  laud  to  my 
children,  and  to  myself  even  one  free  day  before  death.  Ye,  O 
gods,  be  my  witnesses  how  many  times  has  night  found  me 
here !  how  many  times  have  I  heard  the  wailing  cries  of  hyenas 
in  this  place,  and  seen  the  green  eyes  of  wolves !  But  I  did 
not  flee,  for  whither  was  I,  the  unfortunate,  to  flee,  when  at 
every  path  terror  was  lurking,  and  in  this  canal  freedom  held 
me  back  by  the  feet?  Once,  be}Tond  that  turn  there,  a  lion 
came  out  against  me,  the  pharaoh  of  beasts.  The  pickaxe 
dropped  from  my  hands,  I  knelt  down  before  him,  and  I,  as 
ye  see  me,  said  these  words :  '  O  lord  !  is  it  thy  pleasure  to 
eat  me?  I  arn  only  a  slave.'  But  the  lion  took  pity,  the  wolf 
also  passed  by ;  even  the  treacherous  bats  spared  my  poor 
head ;  but  thou,  O  Egyptian  — 

The  man  stopped ;   he  saw  the  retinue  of  Herhor  approach- 


20  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ing.  By  the  fan  he  knew  him  to  be  a  great  personage,  and 
by  the  panther  skin,  a  priest.  He  ran  to  the  litter,  therefore, 
knelt  down,  and  struck  the  sand  with  his  forehead. 

"What  dost  thou  wish,  man?  "  asked  the  dignitary. 

44  O  light  of  the  sun,  listen  to  me  !  "  cried  the  slave.  "  May 
there  be  no  groans  in  thy  chamber,  may  no  misfortune  follow 
thee!  May  thy  works  continue,  and  may  the  current  not  be 
interrupted  when  thou  shalt  sail  by  the  Nile  to  the  other 
shore  —  " 

"  I  ask  what  thy  wish  is,"  repeated  Herhor. 

44  Kind  lord,"  said  the  man,  "  leader  without  caprice,  who 
conquerest  the  false  and  createst  the  true,  who  art  the  father 
of  the  poor,  the  husband  of  the  widow,  clothing  for  the  mother 
less,  permit  me  to  spread  thy  name  as  the  equal  of  justice, 
most  noble  of  the  nobles."  l 

44  He  wishes  that  this  canal  be  not  filled  in,"  said  Eunana. 

Herhor  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  pushed  toward  the  place 
where  they  were  filling  the  canal.  Then  the  despairing  man 
seized  his  feet. 

"Away  with  this  creature!"  cried  his  worthiness,  pushing 
back  as  before  the  bite  of  a  reptile. 

The  secretary,  Pentuer,  turned  his  head ;  his  lean  face  had  a 
grayish  color.  Eunana  seized  the  man  by  the  shoulders  and 
pulled,  but,  unable  to  drag  him  away  from  the  minister's  feet, 
he  summoned  warriors.  After  a  while  Herhor,  now  liberated, 
passed  to  the  other  bank  of  the  canal,  and  the  warriors  tore 
away  the  earth-Vorker,  almost  carrying  him  to  the  end  of  the 
detachment.  There  they  gave  the  man  some  tens  of  blows  of 
fists,  and  subalterns  who  always  carried  canes  gave  him  some 
tens  of  blows  of  sticks,  and  at  last  threw  him  down  at  the 
entrance  to  the  ravine. 

Beaten,  bloody,  and  above  all  terrified,  the  wretched  slave 
sat  on  the  sand  for  a  while,  rubbed  his  eyes,  then  sprang  up 
suddenly  and  ran  groaning  toward  the  highway,  — 

44  Swallow  me,  O  earth !  Cursed  be  the  day  in  which  I  saw 
the  light,  and  the  night  in  which  it  was  said,  '  A  man  is  born  ! ' 
In  the  mantle  of  justice  there  is  not  the  smallest  shred  for 
a  slave.  The  gods  themselves  regard  not  a  creature  whose 

i  Authentic  speech  of  a  slave. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  21 

hands  are  for  labor,  whose  mouth  was  made  only  for  weeping, 
and  whose  back  is  for  clubs.  O  death,  rub  my  body  into  ashes, 
so  that  there,  beyond  on  the  fields  of  Osiris,  I  be  not  born  into 
slavery  a  second  time." 


CHAPTER   III 

PANTING  with  anger,  Prince  Rameses  rushed  up  the  hill, 
while  behind  him  followed  Tutmosis.     The  wig  of  the  ex 
quisite  had  turned  on  his  head,  his  false  beard  had  slipped  down, 
and  he  carried  it  in  his  hand.    In  spite  of  exertion  he  would  have 
been  pale  had  it  not  been  for  the  layers  of  rouge  on  his  face. 

At  last  Rameses  halted  at  the  summit.  From  the  ravine 
came  the  outcry  of  warriors  and  the  rattle  of  the  enrolling 
balistas ;  before  the  two  men  stretched  the  immense  plain  of 
Goshen,  bathed  continually  in  sun-rays.  That  did  not  seem 
land,  but  a  golden  cloud,  on  which  the  mind  painted  a  land 
scape  in  colors  of  silver,  ruby,  pearl,  and  topaz. 

"  Look,"  cried  the  heir  to  Tutmosis,  stretching  out  his  hand, 
"  those  are  to  be  my  lands,  and  here  is  my  army.  Over  there 
the  loftiest  edifices  are  palaces  of  priests,  and  here  the  supreme 
chief  of  the  troops  is  a  priest !  Can  anything  like  this  be 
suffered  ?  " 

4 'It  has  always  been  so,"  replied  Tutmosis,  glancing  around 
with  timidity. 

4 'That  is  not  true!  I  know  the  history  of  this  country,  which 
is  hidden  to  thee.  The  leaders  of  armies  and  the  masters  of 
officials  were  the  pharaohs  alone,  or  at  least  the  most  energetic 
among  them.  Those  rulers  did  not  pass  their  days  in  making 
offerings  and  prayers,  but  in  managing  the  state." 

"If  it  is  the  desire  of  his  holiness  to  pass  his  days  that 
way?"  said  Tutmosis. 

"  It  is  not  my  father's  wish  that  nomarchs  should  govern  as 
they  please  in  the  capitals  of  provinces.  Why,  the  governor  of 
Ethiopia  considered  himself  as  almost  equal  to  the  king  of 
kings.  And  it  cannot  be  my  father's  wish  that  his  army 
should  march  around  two  golden  beetles  because  the  minister 
of  war  is  a  high  priest." 


22  THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST 

"  He  is  a  great  warrior,"  whispered  Tutmosis,  with  increas 
ing  timidity. 

"  He  a  great  warrior?  Because  he  dispersed  a  handful  of 
Libyan  robbers  ready  to  flee  at  the  mere  sight  of  Egyptians. 
But  see  what  our  neighbors  are  doing.  Israel  delays  in  paying 
tribute  and  pays  less  and  less  of  it.  The  cunning  Phoenician 
steals  a  number  of  ships  from  our  fleet  every  year.  On  the 
east  we  are  forced  to  keep  up  a  great  army  against  the  Hittites, 
while  around  Babylon  and  Nineveh  there  is  such  a  movement 
that  it  is  felt  throughout  all  Mesopotamia. 

"  And  what  is  the  outcome  of  priestly  management?  This, 
that  while  my  great-grandfather  had  a  hundred  thousand  talents 
of  yearly  income  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  troops,  my 
father  has  barely  fifty  thousand  talents  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  troops. 

"And  what  an  army!  Were  it  not  for  the  Greek  corps, 
which  keeps  them  in  order  as  a  dog  watches  sheep,  the  Egyp 
tian  soldiers  to-day  would  obey  only  priests  and  the  pharaoh 
would  sink  to  the  level  of  a  miserable  nomarch." 

"Whence  hast  thou  learned  this?"  asked  Tutmosis,  with 
astonishment. 

4 '  Am  I  not  of  a  priestly  family  ?  And  besides,  they  taught 
me  when  I  was  not  heir  to  the  throne.  Oh,  when  I  become 
pharaoh  after  my  father,  —  may  he  live  through  eternity  !  —  I 
will  put  my  bronze-sandalled  foot  on  their  necks.  But  first  of 
all  I  will  seize  their  treasures,  which  have  always  been  bloated, 
but  which  from  the  time  of  Rameses  the  Great  have  begun  to 
swell  out,  and  to-day  are  so  swollen  that  the  treasure  of  the 
pharaoh  is  invisible  because  of  them." 

"  Woe  to  me  and  to  thee  !  "  sighed  Tutmosis.  "  Thou  hast 
plans  under  which  this  hill  would  bend  could  it  hear  and  under 
stand  them.  And  where  are  thy  forces,  thy  assistance,  thy 
warriors?  Against  thee  the  whole  people  will  rise,  led  by 
a  class  of  men  with  mighty  influence.  But  who  is  on  thy 
side?" 

Rameses  listened  and  fell  to  thinking.     At  last  he  said,  — 

"  The  army  —  " 

"  A  considerable  part  of  it  will  follow  the  priests." 

"The  Greek  corps  —  " 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  23 

"  A  barrel  of  water  in  the  Nile." 

"The  officials  — 

"  Half  of  them  belong  to  the  priests." 

The  prince  shook  his  head  sadly,  and  was  silent. 

From  the  summit  they  went  down  by  a  naked  and  stony 
slope  to  the  opposite  base  of  the  hill.  Then  Tutmosis,  who 
had  pushed  ahead  somewhat,  cried,  — 

"  Has  a  charm  fallen  on  my  eyes?  Look,  Rameses!  Why,  a 
second  Egypt  is  concealed  between  these  cliffs  !  " 

"  That  must  be  an  estate  of  some  priest  who  pays  no  taxes," 
replied  the  prince,  bitterly. 

In  the  depth  before  their  feet  lay  a  rich  valley  in  the  form  of 
a  fork  the  tines  of  which  were  hidden  between  cliffs.  At  the 
juncture  of  the  tines  a  number  of  servants'  huts  were  visible, 
and  the  beautiful  little  villa  of  the  owner  or  manager.  Palm- 
trees  grew  there,  grapes,  olives,  figs  with  aerial  roots,  cypresses, 
even  young  baobabs.  In  the  centre  flowed  a  rivulet,  and  at  the 
source  of  it,  some  hundreds  of  yards  higher  up,  small  gardens 
were  visible. 

When  they  had  gone  down  among  grapevines  covered  with 
ripe  clusters,  they  heard  a  woman's  voice  which  called,  or  rather 
sang  in  pensive  notes  : 

"  Where  art  thou  gone  from  me,  where  art  thou,  hen  of  mine? 
Thou  hast  fled,  thou  art  gone  from  me.  I  give  thee  drink 
and  clean  grain ;  what  I  give  is  so  good  that  slaves  envy  thee. 
Where  art  thou  gone,  my  hen  —  wilt  thou  not  answer  me? 
Night  will  come  down  on  thee,  think  of  that ;  thou  wilt  not 
reach  thy  home,  where  all  are  at  work  for  thee.  Come  ;  if  thou 
come  not,  a  falcon  will  fly  from  the  desert  and  tear  the  heart 
out  of  thee.  If  he  come  thou  wilt  call  in 'vain,  as  I  now  call 
in  vain  to  thee.  Give  answer,  or  I  shall  be  angry  and  leave 
this  place.  If  I  leave  thou 'It  go  home  on  thy  own  feet." 

The  song  came  toward  the  two  men.  The  songstress  was  a 
few  yards  from  them  when  Tutmosis  thrust  his  head  from 
between  the  bushes,  and  said,  — 

"  Just  look,  Rameses,  but  that  is  a  beautiful  maiden!  " 

Instead  of  looking,  the  prince  sprang  into  the  path  and 
stopped  the  road  before  the  songstress.  She  was  really  a  beau 
tiful  maiden,  with  Grecian  features  and  a  complexion  like  ivory. 


24  THE    PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST 

From  under  the  veil  on  her  head  peeped  forth  an  immense  mass 
of  dark  hair,  wound  in  a  knot.  She  wore  a  white  trailing  robe 
which  she  held  on  one  side  with  her  hand ;  under  the  transpar 
ent  covering  were  maiden  breasts  shaped  like  apples. 

"  Who  art  thou?  "  cried  Rameses. 

The  threatening  furrows  vanished  from  his  forehead  and  his 
eyes  flashed. 

"  0  Jehovah !  O  Father !  "  cried  she,  frightened,  halting 
motionless  on  the  path. 

But  she  grew  calm  by  degrees,  and  her  velvety  eyes  resumed 
their  expression  of  mild  sadness. 

"  Whence  hast  thou  come?"  inquired  she  of  Rameses,  with 
a  voice  trembling  a  little.  "I  see  that  thou  art  a  soldier,  but 
it  is  not  permitted  soldiers  to  come  here." 

"  Why  is  it  not  permitted?" 

"  Because  this  is  the  land  of  a  great  lord  named  Sesofris." 

"  Ho!  ho !  "  laughed  Rameses. 

"  Laugh  not,  for  thou  wilt  grow  pale  soon.  The  lord  Sesofris 
is  secretary  to  the  lord  Chaires,  who  carries  his  fan  for  the  most 
worthy  nomarch  of  Memphis.  My  father  has  seen  him  and 
fallen  on  his  face  before  him." 

"  Ho!  ho!  ho!  "  repeated  Rameses,  laughing  continually. 

"  Thy  words  are  very  insolent,"  said  the  maiden,  frowning. 
"  Were  kindness  not  looking  from  thy  face,  I  should  think 
thee  a  mercenary  from  Greece  or  a  bandit." 

"  He  is  not  a  bandit  yet,  but  some  day  he  may  become  the 
greatest  bandit  this  land  has  ever  suffered,"  said  Tutmosis  the 
exquisite,  arranging  his  wig, 

"  And  thou  must  be  a  dancer,"  answered  the  girl,  grown 
courageous.  "  Oh  !  I  am  even  certain  that  I  saw  thee  at  the  fair 
in  Pi-Bailos,  enchanting  serpents." 

The  two  young  men  fell  into  perfect  humor. 

"But  who  art  thou?  "  asked  Rameses  of  the  girl,  taking  her 
hand,  which  she  drew  back. 

"  Be  not  so  bold.  I  am  Sarah,  the  daughter  of  Gideon,  the 
manager  of  this  estate." 

"  A  Jewess,"  said  Rameses;  and  a  shadow  passed  over  his 
face. 

"What  harm  in  that?  what  harm  in  that?"  cried  Tutmosis. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  25 

"•  Dost  think  that  Jewesses  are  less  sweet  than  Egyptian  girls? 
They  are  only  more  modest  and  more  difficult,  which  gives  their 
love  an  uncommon  charm." 

44  So  ye  are  pagans,"  said  Sarah,  with  dignity.  "  Rest,  if  ye 
are  tired,  pluck  some  grapes  for  yourselves,  and  go  with  God. 
Our  servants  are  not  glad  to  see  guests  like  you." 

She  wished  to  go,  but  Rameses  detained  her. 

"  Stop !  Thou  hast  pleased  me,  and  may  not  leave  us  in  this 
way." 

4 4  The  evil  spirit  has  seized  thee  ;  no  one  in  this  valley  would 
dare  to  speak  thus  to  me,"  said  Sarah,  now  indignant. 

"Yes;  for,  seest  thou,"  interrupted  Tutmosis,  "this  young 
man  is  an  officer  of  the  priestly  regiment  of  Ptah,  and  a  secretary 
of '  the  secretary  of  a  lord  who  carries  his  fan  over  the  fan-carrier 
of  the  nomarch  of  Habu." 

"  Surely  he  must  be  an  officer/'  answered  Sarah,  looking  with 
thoughtfulness  at  Rameses.  "  Maybe  he  is  a  great  lord 
himself?"  added  she,  putting  her  finger  on  her  lips. 

44  Whoever  I  am,  thy  beauty  surpasses  my  dignity,"  answered 
he,  suddenlv.  ''But  tell  me,  is  it  true  that  the  Jews  eat 
pork?" 

Sarah  looked  at  him  offended  ;  and  Tutmosis  added,  — 

"  How  evident  it  is  that  thou  knowest  not  Jewesses!  I  tell 
thee  that  a  Jew  would  rather  die  than  eat  pork,  which,  for  my 
part,  I  do  not  consider  as  the  worst  —  " 

"  But  do  they  eat  cats?"  insisted  Rameses,  pressing  Sarah's 
hand  and  looking  into  her  eyes. 

"  And  that  is  a  fable,  a  vile  fable !  "  exclaimed  Tutmosis. 
"  Thou  mightst  have  asked  me  about  those  things  instead  of 
talking  nonsense.  I  have  had  three  Jewish  mistresses." 

"  So  far  thou  hast  told  the  truth,  but  now  thou  art  lying," 
called  out  Sarah.  "  A  Jewess  would  not  be  any  man's  mis 
tress,"  added  she,  proudly. 

"Even  the  mistress  of  the  secretary  of  a  lord  who  carries 
the  fan  for  the  nomarch  of  Memphis?"  asked  Tutmosis, 
jeeringly. 

4 '  Even  —  " 

"  Even  the  mistress  of  the  lord  who  carries  the  fan?  " 

Sarah  hesitated,  but  answered,  — 

44  Even." 


26  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Then  perhaps  she  would  not  become  the  mistress  of  the 
nomarch?" 

The  girl's  hands  dropped.  With  astonishment  she  looked  in 
turn  at  the  young  men;  her  lips  quivered,  and  her  eyes  filled 
with  tears. 

"Who  are  ye?"  inquired  she,  alarmed.  "Ye  have  come 
down  from  the  hills,  like  travellers  who  wish  bread  and  water, 
but  ye  speak  to  me  as  might  the  greatest  lords.  Who  are  ye? 
Thy  sword,"  said  she,  turning  to  Rameses,  "is  set  with  em 
eralds,  and  on  thy  neck  is  a  chain  of  such  work  as  even  our 
lord,  the  great  Sesofris,  has  not  in  his  treasury." 

"  Better  tell  me  if  I  please  thee,"  insisted  Rameses,  pressing 
her  hand  and  looking  into  her  eyes  tenderly. 

"  Thou  art  beautiful,  as  beautiful  as  the  angel  Gabriel ;  but 
I  fear  thee,  for  I  know  not  who  thou  art." 

Then  from  beyond  the  hilltop  was  heard  the  sound  of  a 
trumpet. 

"  They  are  calling  thee !  "  cried  Tutmosis. 

* '  And  if  I  were  as  great  a  lord  as  thy  Sesofris  ?  "  asked 
Rameses. 

"  Then  maybe  —  "  answered  Sarah. 

"  And  if  I  carried  the  fan  of  the  nomarch  of  Memphis?  " 

"Thou  mayest  be  even  as  great  as  that  — 

Somewhere  beyond  the  hill  was  heard  the  second  trumpet. 

"  Come,  Rameses  !  "   insisted  the  frightened  Tutmosis. 

"But  if  I  were  —  heir  to  the  throne,  wouldst  thou  come  to 
me?"  cried  the  prince. 

"  O  Jehovah !  "  exclaimed  Sarah,  dropping  on  her  knees. 

From  various  points  trumpets  summoned,  now  urgently. 

"  Let  us  run!  "  cried  Tutmosis,  in  desperation.  "  Dost  thou 
not  hear  the  alarm  in  the  camp  ?  " 

Rameses  took  the  chain  from  his  neck  quickly  and  threw  it 
on  Sarah. 

"  Give  this  to  thy  father.  I  will  buy  thee  from  him.  Be  in 
health." 

He  kissed  her  lips  passionately,  and  she  embraced  his  knees. 
He  tore  away,  ran  a  couple  of  paces,  turned  again,  and  again 
fondled  her  beautiful  face  and  dark  hair  with  kisses,  as  if  he 
heard  not  those  impatient  calls  to  the  army. 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  27 

"In  the  name  of  his  holiness  the  pharaoh,  I  summon  thee, 
follow  me  !  "  cried  Tutmosis ;  and  he  seized  the  prince's  hand. 

They  ran  toward  the  trumpet-calls.  Rameses  tottered  at 
moments  like  a  drunken  man,  and  turned  his  head.  At  last 
they  were  climbing  the  opposite  hill. 

"  And  this  man,"  thought  Tutmosis,  "  wants  to  battle  with 
the  priesthood !  " 


CHAPTER   IV 

RAMESES  and  his  comrade  ran  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
along  the  rocky  ridge  of  the  hill,  drawing  ever  nearer  to 
the  trumpets,  which  sounded  more  and  more  urgently.  At  last 
they  reached  a  point  where  they  took  in  at  a  glance  the  whole 
region.  Toward  the  left  stretched  the  highway ;  beyond  that 
were  seen  clearly  the  city  of  Pi-Bailos,  the  regiments  of  the  heir 
drawn  up  behind  it,  and  an  immense  cloud  of  dust  which  rose 
above  his  opponent  hastening  forward  from  the  east. 

On  the  right  yawned  a  broad  ravine,  along  the  middle  of 
which  the  Greek  regiment  was  dragging  military  engines.  Not 
far  from  the  road  the  ravine  was  lost  in  another  and  a  broader 
one  which  began  in  the  depth  of  the  desert. 

At  this  point  something  uncommon  was  happening.  The 
Greeks  stood  unoccupied  not  far  from  the  junction  of  the  two 
ravines  ;  but  at  the  juncture  itself,  and  between  the  highway 
and  the  staff  of  Rameses,  marched  out  four  dense  lines  of  some 
other  army,  like  four  fences,  bristling  with  glittering  darts. 

In  spite  of  the  steep  road  the  prince  rushed  down  at  full 
speed  to  his  division,  to  the  place  where  the  minister  of  war 
stood  surrounded  by  officers. 

"What  is  happening?"  called  he,  threateningly.  "Why 
sound  an  alarm  instead  of  marching  ?  " 

"  We  are  cut  off,"  saidHerhor. 

"By  whom?" 

"  Our  division  by  three  regiments  of  Nitager,  who  has 
marched  out  of  the  desert." 

"Then  the  enemy  is  there,  near  the  highway?" 

"Yes,  the  invincible  Nitager  himself." 


28  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

It  seemed  in  that  moment  that  the  heir  to  the  throne  had 
gone  mad.  His  lips  were  contorted,  his  eyes  were  starting  out 
of  their  sockets.  He  drew  his  sword,  rushed  to  the  Greeks, 
and  cried,  — 

"  Follow  me  against  those  who  bar  the  road  to  us." 

"  0  heir,  live  forever  !  "  cried  Patrokles,  who  drew  his  sword 
also.  "Forward,  descendants  of  Achilles!  "  said  he,  turning 
to  his  men.  "We  will  teach  those  Egyptian  cowkeepers  not 
to  stop  us  !  " 

Trumpets  sounded  the  attack.  Four  short  but  erect  Greek 
columns  rushed  forward,  a  cloud  of  dust  rose,  and  a  shout  in 
honor  of  Rameses. 

After  a  couple  of  minutes  the  Greeks  found  themselves  in 
the  presence  of  the  Egyptian  regiments,  and  hesitated. 

"  Forward !  "  cried  the  heir,  rushing  on,  sword  in  hand. 

The  Greeks  lowered  their  spears.  On  the  opposing  side 
there  was  a  movement,  a  murmur  flew  along  the  ranks,  and 
spears  also  were  lowered. 

"  Who  are  ye,  madmen?  "    asked  a  mighty  voice. 

"  The  heir  to  the  throne! "  shouted  Patrokles. 

A  moment  of  silence. 

"  Open  ranks!"  commanded  the  same  voice,  mighty  as 
before. 

The  regiments  of  the  eastern  army  opened  slowly,  like  heavy 
folding-doors,  and  the  Greek  division  passed  between  them. 

Then  a  gray-haired  warrior  in  golden  helmet  and  armor 
approached  Prince  Rameses  and  said  with  a  low  obeisance, — 

"  Erpatr,1  thou  hast  conquered.  Only  a  great  warrior  could 
free  himself  from  difficulty  in  that  way." 

"Thou  art  Nitager,  the  bravest  of  the  brave!"  cried  the 
prince. 

At  that  moment  Herhor  approached.  He  had  heard  the 
conversation,  and  said  abruptly,  — 

"  Had  there  been  on  your  side  such  an  awkward  leader  as 
the  erpatr,  how  could  we  have  finished  the  manoeuvres  ?  " 

"  Let  the  young  warrior  alone  !  "  answered  Nitager.  "Is  it 
not  enough  for  thee  that  he  has  shown  the  iron  claws,  as  was 
proper  for  a  son  of  the  pharaoh?  " 

Tutmosis,  noting  the  turn  which  the  conversation  had  taken, 

asked  Nitager,  — 

i  Heir. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND    THE   PRIEST  29 

44  Whence  bast  thou  come,  that  thy  main  forces  are  iii  front 
of  our  army?  " 

"  I  knew  how  incompetently  the  division  was  marching  from 
Memphis,  when  the  heir  was  concentrating  his  regiments  near 
Pi-Bailos,  and  for  sport  I  wished  to  capture  you  young  lords. 
To  my  misfortune  the  heir  was  here  and  spoiled  my  plans. 
Act  that  way  always,  Rameses,  of  course  in  presence  of  real 
enemies." 

44  But  if,  as  to-day,  he  meets  a  force  three  times  superior?" 
inquired  Herhor. 

"Daring  keenness  means  more  than  strength/' replied  the 
old  leader.  "  An  elephant  is  fifty  times  stronger  than  a  man; 
still  he  yields  to  him,  or  dies  at  his  hands." 

Herhor  listened  in  silence. 

The  manoeuvres  were  declared  finished.  Prince  Rameses  with 
the  minister  and  commanders  went  to  the  army  near  Pi-Bailos. 
There  he  greeted  Nitager's  veterans,  took  farewell  of  his  own 
regiments,  commanded  them  to  march  eastward,  and  wished 
success  to  them. 

Then,  surrounded  by  a  great  suite,  he  returned  by  the  high 
way  to  Memphis  amid  crowds  from  the  land  of  Goshen,  who 
with  green  garlands  and  in  holiday  robes  congratulated  the 
conqueror. 

When  the  highway  turned  toward  the  desert,  the  crowd  be 
came  thinner,  and  when  they  approached  the  place  where  the 
staff  of  the  heir  had  entered  the  ravine  because  of  the  scarabs, 
there  was  no  one. 

Rameses  nodded  to  Tutmosis,  and  pointing  to  the  naked  hill, 
whispered,  — 

44  Thou  wilt  go  to  Sarah  —  " 

44  I  understand." 

44  Tell  her  father  that  I  will  give  him  land  outside  Memphis." 

44 1  understand.     Thou  wilt  have  her  to-morrow." 

After  this  conversation  Tutmosis  withdrew  to  the  troops 
marching  behind  the  suite,  and  vanished. 

Almost  opposite  the  ravine  along  which  the  army  had  passed 
in  the  morning,  some  tens  of  steps  from  the  road,  stood  a 
tamarind-tree  which,  though  old,  was  not  large.  At  this  point 
a  halt  was  made  by  the  guard  which  had  preceded  the  suite. 


30  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Shall  we  meet  scarabs  again?"  asked  Rameses,  with  a 
laugh. 

"  We  shall  see,"  answered  Herhor. 

They  looked ;  on  the  slender  tree  a  naked  man  was  hanging. 

u  What  does  this  mean?  "  asked  the  heir,  with  emotion. 

Adjutants  ran  to  the  tree,  and  saw  that  the  hanging  man  was 
that  old  slave  whose  canal  they  had  closed  in  the  morning. 

"He  did  right  to  hang  himself!  "  cried  Eunana  among  the 
officers.  "  Could  ye  believe  it,  that  wretch  dared  to  seize  the 
feet  of  his  holiness  the  minister !  " 

On  hearing  this,  Rameses  reiued  in  his  horse,  dismounted, 
and  walked  up  to  the  ominous  tree. 

The  slave  was  hanging  with  his  head  stretched  forward ;  his 
mouth  was  opened  widely,  his  hands  turned  toward  the  specta 
tors,  and  terror  was  in  his  eyes.  He  looked  like  a  man  who 
had  wished  to  say  something,  but  whose  voice  had  failed  him. 

"  The  unfortunate  !  "  sighed  Rameses,  with  compassion. 

On  returning  to  the  retinue  he  gave  command  to  relate  to 
him  the  history  of  the  man,  and  then  he  rode  a  long  time  in 
silence. 

Before  his  eyes  was  the  picture  of  the  suicide,  and  in  his 
heart  was  the  feeling  that  a  great  wrong  had  been  done,  —  such 
a  wrong  that  even  he,  the  son  and  the  heir  of  the  pharaoh, 
might  halt  in  face  of  it. 

The  heat  was  unendurable,  the  dust  dried  up  the  water  and 
pierced  the  eyes  of  man  and  beast.  The  division  was  detained 
for  a  short  rest,  and  meanwhile  Nitager  finished  his  conversa 
tion  with  the  minister. 

"  My  officers,"  said  the  old  commander,  "  never  look  under 
their  feet,  but  always  straight  forward." 

"  That  is  the  reason,  perhaps,  why  no  enemy  has  ever 
surprised  me." 

"  Your  worthiness  reminds  me,  by  these  words,  that  I  am  to 
pay  certain  debts,"  remarked  Herhor ;  and  he  commanded  the 
officers  and  soldiers  who  were  near  by  to  assemble. 

u  And  now,"  said  the  minister,  "  summon  for  me  Eunana." 

The  officer  covered  with  amulets  was  found  as  quickly  as  if 
he  had  been  waiting  for  this  summons  a  long  time.  On  his 
countenance  was  depicted  delight,  which  he  restrained  through 
humility,  but  with  effort. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  31 

Herhor,  seeing  Eunana  before  him,  began,  — 

"  By  the  will  of  his  holiness,  supreme  command  of  the  army 
comes  into  my  hands  again  with  the  ending  of  the  manoeuvres." 

Those  present  bowed  their  heads. 

"It  is  my  duty  to  use  this  power  first  of  all  in  meting  out 
justice." 

The  officers  looked  at  one  another. 

"Eunana,"  said  the  minister,  "I  know  that  thou  hast  al 
ways  been  one  of  the  most  diligent  officers." 

"  Truth  speaks  through  thy  lips,  worthy  lord,"  replied  Eu 
nana.  "  As  a  palm  waits  for  dew,  so  do  I  for  the  commands 
of  superiors.  And  when  I  do  not  receive  them,  I  am  like 
an  orphan  in  the  desert  when  looking  for  a  pathway." 

Nitager's  scar-covered  officers  listened  with  astonishment  to 
the  ready  speech  of  Eunana,  and  thought,  "  He  will  be  raised 
above  others !  " 

"Eunana,"  said  the  minister,  "thou  art  not  only  diligent, 
but  pious ;  not  only  pious,  but  watchful  as  an  ibis  over  water. 
The  gods  have  poured  out  on  thee  every  virtue :  they  have  given 
thee  serpent  cunning,  with  the  eye  of  a  falcon." 

"Pure  truth  flows  from  thy  lips,  worthiness,"  added  Eunana. 
"  Were  it  not  for  my  wonderful  sight,  I  should  not  have  seen 
the  two  scarabs." 

"Yes,  and  thou  wouldst  not  have  saved  our  camp  from 
sacrilege.  For  this  deed,  worthy  of  the  most  pious  Egyptian, 
I  give  thee  —  " 

Here  the  minister  took  a  gold  ring  from  his  fmger. 

"I  give  thee  this  ring  with  the  name  of  the  goddess  Mut, 
whose  favor  and  prudence  will  •  accompany  thee  to  the  end  of 
thy  worldly  wandering,  if  thou  deserve  it." 

His  worthiness  delivered  the  ring  to  Eunana,  and  those 
present  uttered  a  great  shout  in  honor  of  the  pharaoh,  and 
rattled  their  weapons. 

As  Herhor  did  not  move,  Eunana  stood  and  looked  him  in 
the  eyes,  like  a  faithful  dog  which  having  received  one  morsel 
from  his  master  is  wagging  his  tail  and  waiting. 

"  And  now,"  continued  the  minister,  "  confess,  Eunana, 
why  thou  didst  not  tell  whither  the  heir  to  the  throne  went 
when  the  army  was  marching  along  the  ravine  with  such 


32  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

difficulty.  Thou  didst  an  evil  deed,  for  we  had  to  sound  the 
alarm  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  enemy." 

"  The  gods  are  my  witnesses  that  I  know  nothing  of  the 
most  worthy  prince,"  replied  the  astonished  Eunana. 

Herhor  shook  his  head. 

"  It  cannot  be  that  a  man  gifted  with  such  sight,  a  man 
who  at  some  tens  of  yards  away  sees  sacred  scarabs  in  the 
sand,  should  not  see  so  great  a  personage  as  the  heir  to  the 
throne  is." 

"  Indeed  I  did  not  see  him!  "  explained  Eunana,  beating  his 
breast.  "  Moreover  no  one  commanded  me  to  watch  Rameses." 

"  Did  I  not  free  thee  from  leading  the  vanguard?  Did  I 
assign  to  thee  an  office  ?  "  asked  the  minister.  ' '  Thou  wert 
entirely  free,  just  like  a  man  who  is  called  to  important  deeds. 
And  didst  thou  accomplish  thy  task?  For  such  an  error  in 
time  of  war  thou  shouldst  suffer  death  surely." 

The  ill-fated  officer  was  pallid. 

"  But  I  have  a  paternal  heart  for  thee,  Eunana,"  said 
Herhor,  "and,  remembering  the  great  service  which  thou  hast 
rendered  by  discovering  the  scarabs,  I,  not  as  a  stern  minis 
ter,  but  as  a  mild  priest,  appoint  to  thee  a  very  small  pun 
ishment.  Thou  wilt  receive  fifty  blows  of  a  stick  on  thy 
body." 

"  Worthiness !  " 

"  Eunana,  thou  hast  known  how  to  be  fortunate,  now  be 
manful  and  receive  this  slight  remembrance  as  becomes  an 
officer  in  the  army  of  his  holiness." 

Barely  had  the  worthy  Herhor  finished  when  the  officers  old 
est  in  rank  placed  Eunaua  in  a  commodious  position  at  the  side 
of  the  highroad.  After  that  one  of  them  sat  on  his  neck,  an 
other  on  his  feet,  while  a  third  and  a  fourth  counted  out  fifty 
blows  of  pliant  reeds  on  his  naked  body. 

The  unterrified  warrior  uttered  no  groan ;  on  the  contrary,  he 
hummed  a  soldier  song,  and  at  the  end  of  the  ceremony  wished 
to  rise.  But  his  stiffened  legs  refused  obedience,  so  he  fell  face 
downward  on  the  sand  ;  they  had  to  take  him  to  Memphis  on  a 
two- wheeled  vehicle.  While  tying  on  this  cart  and  smiling  at 
the  soldiers,  Eunaua  considered  that  the  wind  does  not  change 
so  quickly  in  Lower  Egypt  as  fortune  in  the  life  of  an  inferior 
officer. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  33 

When,  after  the  brief  halt,  the  retinue  of  the  heir  to  the  throne 
moved  on  its  farther  journey,  Herhor  mounted  his  horse  and 
riding  at  the  side  of  Nitager,  spoke  in  an  undertone  about 
Asiatic  nations  and,  above  all,  about  the  awakening  of  Assyria. 

Then  two  servants  of  the  minister,  the  adjutant  carrying  his 
fan  and  the  secretary  Pentuer,  began  a  conversation  also. 

"  What  dost  thou  think  of  Eunaua's  adventure?"  asked  the 
adjutant. 

"  And  what  thinkest  thou  of  the  slave  who  hanged  himself  ?  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  this  was  his  best  day,  and  the  rope 
around  his  neck  the  softest  thing  that  has  touched  him  in  life. 
I  think,  too,  that  Eunana  from  this  time  on  will  watch  the  heir 
to  the  throne  very  closely." 

"  Thou  art  mistaken,"  answered  Pentuer.  "  Eunana  from 
this  time  on  will  never  see  a  scarab,  even  though  it  were  as 
large  as  a  bullock.  As  to  that  slave,  dost  thou  not  think  that 
in  every  case  it  must  have  been  very  evil  for  him  —  very  evil 
in  this  sacred  land  of  Egypt?  " 

"  Thou  knowest  not  slaves,  hence  speakest  thus  —  ' 

"But  who  knows  them  better?"  asked  Peutuer,  gloomily. 
"  Have  I  not  grown  up  among  them?  Have  I  not  seen  my 
father  watering  land,  clearing  canals,  sowing,  harvesting,  and, 
above  all,  paying  tribute?  Oh,  thou  knowest  not  the  lot  of 
slaves  in  Egypt." 

'•  But  if  I  do  not,  I  know  the  lot  of  the  foreigner.  My  great 
grandfather  or  great-great-grandfather  was  famous  among  the 
IJyksos,  but  he  remained  here,  for  he  grew  attached  to  this 
country.  And  what  wilt  thou  say?  Not  only  was  his  property 
taken  from  him,  but  the  stain  of  my  origin  rests  on  me  at 
present.  Thou  thyself  knowest  what  I  bear  frequently  from 
Egyptians  by  race,  though  I  have  a  considerable  position. 
How,  then,  can  I  take  pity  on  the  Egyptian  earth-worker,  who, 
seeing  my  yellow  complexion,  mutters  frequently,  '  Pagan ! 
foreigner ! '  The  earth-worker  is  neither  a  pagan  nor  a 
foreigner." 

"Only  a  slave,"  added  Pentuer,  —  "a  slave  whom  they 
marry,  divorce,  beat,  sell,  slay  sometimes,  and  command 
always  to  work,  with  a  promise  besides  that  in  the  world  to 
come  he  will  be  a  slave  also." 


34  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Thou  art  a  strange  man,  though  so  wise!"  said  the  adju 
tant,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  Dost  thou  not  see  that  each 
man  of  us  occupies  some  position,  low,  less  low,  or  very  low,  in 
which  he  must  labor?  But  dost  thou  suffer  because  thou  art  not 
pharaoh,  and  thy  tomb  will  not  be  a  pyramid?  Thou  dost  not 
ponder  at  all  over  this,  for  thou  knowest  it  to  be  the  world's 
condition.  Each  creature  does  its  own  duty  :  the  ox  ploughs, 
the  ass  bears  the  traveller,  I  cool  his  worthiness,  thou  remem- 
berest  and  thinkest  for  him,  while  the  earth-worker  tills  land 
and  pays  tribute.  What  is  it  to  us  that  some  bull  is  born  Apis, 
to  whom  all  render  homage,  and  some  man  a  pharaoh  or  a 
nomarch  ?  " 

"  The  ten  years'  toil  of  that  man  was  destroyed,"  whispered 
Pentuer. 

"And  does  not  the  minister  destroy  thy  toil?"  asked  the 
adjutant.  "  Who  knows  that  thou  art  the  manager  of  the 
state,  not  the  worthy  Herhor?" 

4 '  Thou  art  mistaken.  He  manages  really.  He  has  power  and 
will ;  I  have  only  knowledge.  Moreover,  they  do  not  beatthee, 
nor  me,  like  that  slave." 

"  But  they  have  beaten  Eunana,  and  they  may  beat  us  also. 
Hence  there  is  need  to  be  brave  and  make  use  of  the  position 
assigned  us ;  all  the  more  since,  as  is  known  to  thee,  our 
spirit,  the  immortal  TTa,  in  proportion  as  it  is  purified  rises  to 
a  higher  plane,  so  that  after  thousands  or  millions  of  years,  in 
company  with  spirits  of  pharaohs  and  slaves,  in  company  with 
gods  even,  it  will  be  merged  into  the  nameless  and  all-mighty 
father  of  existence." 

"Thou  speakest  like  a  priest,"  answered  Pentuer,  with  bitter 
ness.  "  I  ought  rather  to  have  this  calm!  But  instead  of  it 
I  have  pain  in  my  soul,  for  I  feel  the  wretchedness  of 
millions  —  " 

"  Who  tells  it  to  thee?" 

"  My  eyes  and  my  heart.  My  heart  is  like  a  valley  between 
mountains  which  never  can  be  silent,  when  it  hears  a  cry,  but 
must  answer  with  an  echo." 

"I  say  to  thee,  Pentuer,  that  thou  thinkest  too  much  over 
dangerous  subjects.  It  is  impossible  to  walk  safely  along  preci 
pices  of  the  eastern  mountains,  for  thou  mayst  fall  at  any 


THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST  35 

moment ;  or  to  wander  through  the  western  desert,  where  hun 
gry  lions  are  prowling,  and  where  the  raging  simoom  springs  up 
unexpectedly." 

Meanwhile  the  valiant  Eunana  moved  on  in  the  vehicle,  which 
only  added  to  his  pain.  But  to  show  that  he  was  valiant  he 
requested  food  and  drink ;  and  when  he  had  eaten  a  dry  cake 
rubbed  with  garlic  and  had  drunk  sour  beer  from  a  thick-bellied 
pot,  he  begged  the  driver  to  take  a  branch  and  drive  the  flies 
from  his  wounded  body. 

Thus  lying  on  the  bags  and  packs  in  that  squeaking  car,  with 
his  face  toward  the  earth,  the  unfortunate  Eunana  sang  with  a 
groaning  voice  the  grievous  lot  of  the  inferior  officer,  — 

"  Why  dost  thou  say  that  the  scribe's  lot  is  worse  than 
the  officer's?  Come  and  see  my  blue  stripes  and  swollen 
body  ;  meanwhile  I  will  tell  thee  the  tale  of  a  downtrodden 
officer. 

"I  was  a  boy  when  they  brought  me  to  the  barracks.  For 
breakfast  I  had  blows  of  fists  in  the  belly,  till  I  fainted ;  for 
dinner  fists  in  the  eyes,  till  my  mouth  gaped;  and  for  supper  I 
had  a  head  covered  with  wounds  and  almost  split  open. 

"  Go  on  !  let  me  tell  how  I  made  the  campaign  to  Sjria.  Food 
and  drink  I  had  to  carry  on  my  back,  I  was  bent  down  with 
weight  as  an  ass  is  bent.  My  neck  became  stiff,  like  an  ass's 
neck,  and  the  joints  of  my  back  swelled.  I  drank  rotten  water, 
I  was  like  a  captive  bird  in  the  face  of  the  enemy. 

"  I  returned  to  Egypt,  but  here  I  am  like  a  tree  into  which  a 
worm  is  boring  always.  For  any  trifle  they  put  me  on  the 
ground  and  beat  me  till  I  am  breaking.  I  am  sick  and  must 
lie  at  full  length;  they  carry  me  in  a  car,  meanwhile  serving- 
men  steal  my  mantle  and  escape  with  it. 

"  So  change  thy  mind,  O  scribe,  about  the  happiness  of 
officers."  l 

Thus  sang  the  brave  Eunaua ;  and  his  tearful  song  has  out 
lived  the  Egyptian  kingdom. 

1  Authentic. 


36  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 


CHAPTER   V 

AS  the  suite  of  the  heir  approached  Memphis,  the  sun  was 
near  its  setting,  while  from  countless  canals  and  the  dis 
tant  sea  came  a  wind  filled  with  cool  moisture.  The  road 
descended  again  to  the  fertile  region,  where  on  fields  and  among 
bushes  continuous  ranks  of  people  were  working,  a  rosy  gleam 
was  falling  on  the  desert,  and  the  mountain  summits  were  in  a 
blaze  of  sunlight. 

Rameses  halted  and  turned  his  horse.  His  suite  surrounded 
him  quickly,  the  higher  officers  approached  with  some  leisure, 
while  the  marching  regiments  drew  nearer  slowly  and  with  even 
tread.  In  the  purple  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  the  prince  had  the 
seeming  of  a  divinity,  the  soldiers  gazed  at  him  with  affection 
and  pride,  the  chiefs  looked  admiringly. 

He  raised  his  hand.     All  were  silent. 

"Worthy  leaders,"  began  he,  "brave  officers,  obedient  sol 
diers  !  To-day  the  gods  have  given  me  the  pleasure  of  command 
ing  you.  Delight  has  filled  my  heart.  And  since  it  is  my  will 
that  leaders,  officers,  and  soldiers  should  share  my  happiness  at 
all  times,  I  assign  one  drachma  to  each  soldier  of  those  who 
have  gone  to  the  east,  and  to  those  who  return  with  us  from  the 
eastern  boundary  ;  also  one  drachma  each  to  the  Greek  soldiers 
who  to-day,  under  my  command,  opened  a  passage  out  of  the 
ravine;  and  one  drachma  to  each  man  in  the  regiments  of  the 
worthy  Nitager  who  wished  to  cut  off  the  way  to  us." 

There  was  a  shout  in  the  army. 

"  Be  well,  our  leader !  Be  well,  successor  of  the  pharaoh, 
may  he  live  eternally  !  "  cried  the  soldiers  ;  and  the  Greeks  cried 
the  loudest. 

The  prince  continued,  — 

"  I  assign  five  talents  to  be  divided  among  the  lower  officers 
of  my  army  and  that  of  the  worthy  Nitager.  And  finally  I 
assign  ten  talents  to  be  divided  between  his  worthiness  the 
minister  and  the  chief  leaders  —  " 


THE    PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  37 

"  I  yield  my  part  for  the  benefit  of  the  army,"  answered 
Herhor. 

"Be  well,  O  heir!  —  be  well,  O  minister!"  cried  the  officers 
and  the  soldiers. 

The  ruddy  circle  of  the  sun  had  touched  the  sands  of  the 
western  desert.  Rameses  took  farewell  of  the  army  and  galloped 
towards  Memphis ;  but  his  worthiness  Herhor,  amid  joyous 
shouts,  took  a  seat  in  his  litter  and  commanded  also  to  go  in 
advance  of  the  marching  divisions. 

When  they  had  gone  so  far  that  single  voices  were  merged  into 
one  immense  murmur,  like  the  sound  of  a  cataract,  the  minister, 
bending  toward  the  secretary,  asked  of  him,  — 

"  Dost  thou  remember  everything?" 

"  Yes,  worthy  lord." 

"  Thy  memory  is  like  granite  on  which  we  write  history,  and 
thy  wisdom  like  the  Nile,  which  covers  all  the  country  and 
enriches  it,"  said  Herhor.  "Besides,  the  gods  have  granted  thee 
the  greatest  of  virtues,  —  wise  obedience." 

The  secretary  was  silent. 

"  Hence  thou  mayest  estimate  more  accurately  than  others 
the  acts  and  reasons  of  the  heir,  may  he  live  through  eternity !  " 

The  minister  stopped  awhile,  and  then  added,  — 

"  It  has  not  been  his  custom  to  speak  so  much.  Tell  me 
then,  Pentuer,  and  record  this :  Is  it  proper  that  the  heir  to 
the  throne  should  express  his  will  before  the  army?  Only  a 
pharaoh  may  act  thus,  or  a  traitor,  or  —  a  frivolous  stripling, 
who  with  the  same  heedlessness  will  do  hasty  deeds  or  belch 
forth  words  of  blasphemy." 

The  sun  went  down,  and  soon  after  a  starry  night  appeared. 
Above  the  countless  canals  of  Lower  Egypt  a  silvery  mist  be 
gan  to  thicken,  —  a  mist  which,  borne  to  the  desert  by  a  gentle 
wind,  freshened  the  wearied  warriors,  and  revived  vegetation 
which  had  been  dying  through  lack  of  moisture. 

"Or  tell  me,  Pentuer,"  continued  the  minister,  "and  in 
quire  :  whence  will  the  heir  get  his  twenty  talents  to  keep  the 
promise  which  he  made  this  day  to  the  army  with  such  improvi 
dence?  Besides,  it  seems  to  me,  and  certainly  to  thee,  a 
dangerous  step  for  an  heir  to  make  presents  to  the  army,  espe 
cially  now,  when  his  holiness  has  nothing  with  which  to  pay 


38  THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST 

Nitager's  regiments  returning  from  the  Orient.  I  do  not  ask 
what  thy  opinions  are,  for  I  know  them,  as  thou  knowest  my 
most  secret  thoughts.  I  only  ask  thee  to  the  end  that  thou 
remember  what  thou  hast  seen,  so  as  to  tell  it  to  the  priests  in 
council." 

"  Will  they  meet  soon?  "  inquired  Pentuer. 

"  There  is  no  reason  yet  to  summon  them.  I  shall  try  first 
to  calm  this  wild  young  bull  through  the  fatherly  hand  of  his 
holiness.  It  would  be  a  pity  to  lose  the  boy,  for  he  has  much 
ability  and  the  energy  of  a  southern  whirlwind.  But  if  the 
whirlwind,  instead  of  blowing  away  Egypt's  enemies,  blows 
down  its  wheat  and  tears  up  its  palm-trees !  —  " 

The  minister  stopped  conversation,  and  his  retinue  vanished 
in  the  dark  alley  of  trees  which  led  to  Memphis. 

Meanwhile  Rameses  reached  the  palace  of  the  pharaoh. 

This  edifice  stood  on  an  elevation  in  a  park  outside  the  city. 
Peculiar  trees  grew  there :  baobabs  from  the  south ;  pines,  oaks, 
and  cedars  from  the  north.  Thanks  to  the  art  of  gardeners, 
these  trees  lived  some  tens  of  years  and  reached  a  considerable 
height. 

The  shady  alley  led  to  a  gate  which  was  as  high  as  a  house 
of  three  stories.  From  each  side  of  the  gate  rose  a  solid  build 
ing  like  a  tower  in  the  form  of  a  truncated  pyramid,  forty 
yards  in  width  with  the  height  of  five  stories.  In  the  night 
they  seemed  like  two  immense  tents  made  of  sandstone.  These 
peculiar  buildings  had  on  the  ground  and  the  upper  stories 
square  windows,  and  the  roofs  were  flat.  From  the  top  of  one 
of  these  pyramids  without  apex,  a  watch  looked  at  the  country ; 
from  the  other  the  priest  on  duty  observed  the  stars. 

At  the  right  and  left  of  these  towers,  called  pylons,  extended 
walls,  or  rather  long  structures  of  one  story,  with  narrow  win 
dows  and  flat  roofs,  on  which  sentries  paced  back  and  forth. 
On  both  sides  of  the  main  gate  were  two  sitting  statues  fif 
teen  feet  in  height.  In  front  of  these  statues  moved  other 
sentries. 

When  the  prince,  with  a  number  of  horsemen,  approached 
the  palace,  the  sentry  knew  him  in  spite  of  the  darkness. 
Soon  an  official  of  the  court  ran  out  of  the  pylon.  He  was 
clothed  in  a  white  skirt  and  dark  mantle,  and  wore  a  wig  as 
large  as  a  headdress. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  39 

44  Is  the  palace  closed  already?  "  inquired  the  prince. 

44  Thou  art  speaking  truth,  worthy  lord,"  said  the  official. 
44  His  holiness  is  preparing  the  god  for  sleep." 

44  What  will  he  do  after  that?  " 

41  He  will  be  pleased  to  receive  the  war  minister,  Herhor." 

44  Well,  and  later?" 

44  Later  his  holiness  will  look  at  the  ballet  in  the  great  hall, 
then  he  will  bathe  and  recite  evening  prayers." 

44  Has  he  not  commanded  to  receive  me?  "  inquired  Rameses. 

4'  To-morrow  morning  after  the  military  council." 

4'  What  are  the  queens  doing?" 

44  The  first  queen  is  praying  in  the  chamber  of  her  dead  sou, 
and  thy  worthy  mother  is  receiving  the  Phoenician  ambassador, 
who  has  brought  her  gifts  from  the  women  of  Tyre." 

44  Did  he  bring  maidens?" 

44  A  number  of  them.  Each  has  on  her  person  treasures  to 
the  value  of  ten  talents." 

44  Who  is  moving  about  down  there  with  torches?"  asked 
the  prince,  pointing  to  the  lower  park. 

"They  are  taking  thy  brother,  worthiness,  from  a  tree  where 
he  has  been  sitting  since  midday." 

44  Is  he  unwilling  to  come  down?" 

44  He  will  come  down  now,  for  the  first  queen's  jester  has 
gone  for  him,  and  has  promised  to  take  him  to  the  inn  where 
dissectors  are  drinking." 

44  And  hast  thou  heard  anything  of  the  manoeuvres  of 
to-day?" 

"  They  say  that  the  staff  was  cut  off  from  the  corps." 

44  And  what  more?" 

The  official  hesitated. 

44  Tell  what  thou  hast  heard." 

44  We  heard,  moreover,  that  because  of  this  five  hundred 
blows  of  a  stick  were  given  to  a  certain  officer  at  thy  com 
mand,  worthiness." 

44  It  is  all  a  lie ! "  said  one  of  the  adjutants  of  the  heir  in  an 
undertone. 

44  The  soldiers,  too,  say  among  themselves  that  it  must  be  a 
lie,"  returned  the  official,  with  growing  confidence. 


40  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Rameses  turned  his  horse  and  rode  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
park  where  his  small  palace  was  situated.  It  had  a  ground  and 
an  upper  story  and  was  built  of  wood.  Its  form  was  that  of  an 
immense  hexagon  with  two  porticos,  an  upper  and  a  lower  one 
which  surrounded  the  building  and  rested  on  a  multitude  of 
pillars.  Lamps  were  burning  in  the  interior;  hence  it  was 
possible  to  see  that  the  walls  were  formed  of  planks  perforated 
like  lace,  and  that  these  walls  were  protected  from  the  wind  by 
curtains  of  various  colors.  The  roof  of  the  building  was  flat, 
surrounded  by  a  balustrade ;  on  this  roof  stood  a  number  of 
tents. 

Greeted  heartily  by  half-naked  servitors,  some  of  whom  ran 
out  with  torches,  while  others  prostrated  themselves  before 
him,  the  heir  entered  his  residence.  On  the  ground  floor  he 
removed  his  dusty  dress,  bathed  in  a  stone  basin,  and  put  on  a 
kind  of  great  sheet  which  he  fastened  at  the  neck  and  bound 
round  his  waist  with  a  cord  for  a  girdle.  On  the  first  floor  he 
ate  a  supper  consisting  of  a  wheaten  cake,  dates,  and  a  glass 
of  light  beer.  Then  he  went  to  the  terrace  of  the  building, 
and  lying  on  a  couch  covered  with  a  lion  skin,  commanded 
the  servants  to  withdraw  and  to  bring  up  Tutmosis  the  moment 
he  appeared  there. 

About  midnight  a  litter  stopped  before  the  residence,  and  out 
of  it  stepped  the  adjutant.  When  he  walked  along  the  terrace 
heavily  yawning  as  he  went,  the  prince  sprang  up  from  the 
couch  and  cried,  — 

"  Art  thou  here?  Well,  what?  " 

"  Then  art  thou  not  sleeping  yet?  "  replied  Tutmosis.  "  O 
gods,  after  so  many  days  of  torture !  I  think  that  1  should 
sleep  until  sunrise." 

"What  of  Sarah?" 

u  She  will  be  here  the  day  after  to-morrow,  or  thou  wilt  be 
with  her  in  the  house  beyond  the  river."* 

' '  Only  after  to-morrow  !  " 

"  Only?  I  beg  thee,  Rameses,  to  sleep.  Thou  hast  taken 
too  much  bad  blood  to  thy  heart,  fire  will  strike  to  thy  head." 

t4  What  about  her  father?  " 

"  He  is  honorable  and  wise.  They  call  him  Gideon.  When 
I  told  him  that  thou  hadst  the  wish  to  take  his  daughter,  he  fell 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  41 

on  the  ground  and  tore  his  hair.  Of  course  I  waited  till  this 
outburst  of  fatherly  suffering  was  over;  I  ate  a  little,  drank 
some  wine,  and  at  last  proceeded  to  bargaining.  The  weeping 
Gideon  swore  first  of  all  that  he  would  rather  see  his  daughter 
dead  than  the  mistress  of  any  man.  Then  I  told  him  that  near 
Memphis,  on  the  Nile,  he  would  receive  land  which  gives  two 
talents  of  yearly  income  and  pays  no  taxes.  He  was  indignant. 
Then  I  stated  that  he  might  receive  another  talent  yearly  in 
gold  and  silver.  He  sighed  and  declared  that  his  daughter 
had  spent  three  years  at  school  in  Pi-Bailos ;  I  added  another 
talent.  Then  Gideon,  still  disconsolate,  remembered  that  he 
would  lose  his  very  good  position  of  manager  for  the  lord 
Sesofris.  I  told  him  that  he  need  not  lose  that  place,  and 
added  ten  milch  cows  from  thy  stables.  His  forehead  cleared 
somewhat ;  then  he  confessed  to  me,  as  a  profound  secret,  that 
a  certain  very  great  lord,  Chaires,  who  bears  the  fan  of  the 
nomarch  of  Memphis,  was  turning  attention  toward  Sarah.  I 
promised  then  to  add  a  young  bull,  a  medium  chain  of  gold, 
and  a  large  bracelet.  In  this  way  thy  Sarah  will  cost  thee 
land,  two  talents  yearly  in  money,  ten  cows,  a  young  bull,  a 
chain  and  a  gold  bracelet,  immediately.  These  thou  wilt  give 
to  her  father,  the  honest  Gideon  ;  to  her  thou  wilt  give  what 
ever  pleases  thee." 

"  What  did  Sarah  say  to  this?  " 

"  While  we  were  bargaining  she  walked  among  the  trees. 
When  we  had  finished  the  matter  and  settled  it  by  drinking 
good  Hebrew  wine,  she  told  her  father  —  dost  thou  know  what? 
—  that  if  he  had  not  given  her  to  thee,  she  would  have  gone  up 
the  cliff  and  thrown  herself  down  head  foremost.  Now  thou 
mayst  sleep  quietly,  I  think,"  ended  Tutmosis. 

u  I  doubt  it,"  answered  Rameses,  leaning  on  the  balustrade 
and  looking  into  the  emptiest  side  of  the  park.  "  Dost  thou 
know  that  on  the  way  back  we  found  a  man  hanging  from  a 
tree?" 

"  Oh  !   that  is  worse  than  the  scarabs  !  " 

"  He  hanged  himself  from  despair  because  the  warriors  filled 
the  canal  which  he  had  been  digging  for  ten  years  in  the 
desert." 

"•  Well,  that  man  is  sleeping  now  quietly.  So  it  is  time 
for  us." 


42  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  That  man  was  wronged,"  said  the  prince.  "  I  must  find  his 
children,  ransom  them,  and  rent  a  bit  of  laud  to  them." 

"  But  thou  must  do  this  with  great  secrecy,"  remarked  Tut- 
mosis,  "  or  all  slaves  will  begin  to  hang  themselves,  and  no 
Phoenician  will  lend  us,  their  lords,  a  copper  uten." 

44  Jest  not.  Hadst  thou  seen  that  man's  face,  sleep  would 
be  absent  to-night  from  thy  eyes  as  it  is  from  mine." 

Meanwhile  from  below,  among  the  bushes,  was  heard  a  voice, 
not  over-powerful,  but  clear,  — 

"  May  the  One,  the  Ail-Powerful,  bless  thee,  Rameses,  —  He 
who  has  no  name  in  human  speech,  or  statue  in  a  temple." 

Both  young  men  bent  forward  in  astonishment. 

"  Who  art  thou  ?  "  called  out  the  prince. 

"  I  am  the  injured  people  of  Egypt,"  replied  the  voice,  slowly 
and  with  calmness. 

Then  all  was  silent.  No  motion,  no  rustle  of  branches  be 
trayed  human  presence  in  that  place. 

At  command  of  Rameses  servants  rushed  out  with  torches, 
the  dogs  were  unchained,  and  every  bush  around  the  house  was 
searched.  But  they  found  no  one. 

"  Who  could  that  have  been,  Tutmosis  ?  "  asked  the  prince, 
with  emotion.  "Perhaps  it  was  the  ghost  of  that  slave  who 
hanged  himself?" 

"  I  have  never  heard  ghosts  talking,  though  I  have  been  on 
guard  at  temples  and  tombs  more  than  once.  I  should  think, 
rather,  that  he  who  has  just  called  to  us  is  some  friend  of 
thine." 

"  Why  should  he  hide  ?  " 

"But  what  harm  is  that  to  thee?  Each  one  of  us  has  tens, 
if  not  hundreds,  of  invisible  enemies.  Thank  the  gods,  then, 
that  thou  hast  even  one  invisible  friend." 

"  I  shall  not  sleep  to-night,"  whispered  the  excited  prince. 

"  Be  calm.  Instead  of  running  along  the  terrace  listen  to 
me  and  lie  down.  Thou  wilt  see  Sleep  —  that  is  a  deliberate 
divinity,  and  it  does  not  befit  him  to  chase  after  those  who  run 
with  the  pace  of  a  deer.  If  thou  wilt  lie  down  on  a  comfort 
able  couch,  Sleep,  who  loves  comfort,  will  sit  near  thee  and 
cover  thee  with  his  great  mantle,  which  covers  not  only  men's 
eyes,  but  their  memories," 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  43 

Thus  speaking,  Tutmosis  placed  Rameses  on  a  couch ;  then 
he  brought  an  ivory  pillow  shaped  like  a  crescent,  and  arrang 
ing  the  prince,  placed  his  head  on  this  pillow. 

Then  he  let  down  the  canvas  walls  of  the  tent,  laid  himself 
on  the  floor,  and  both  were  asleep  in  some  minutes. 

CHAPTER   VI 

THE  entrance  to  the  pharaoh's  palace  at  Memphis  was 
through  a  gate  placed  between  two  lofty  towers  or  pylons* 
The  external  walls  of  these  buildings  were  of  gray  sandstone 
covered  from  foundation  to  summit  with  bas  reliefs. 

At  the  top  of  the  gate  rose  the  arms  of  the  state,  or  its 
symbol :  a  winged  globe,  from  behind  which  appeared  two  ser 
pents.  Lower  down  sat  a  series  of  gods  to  which  the  pharaohs 
were  bringing  offerings.  On  side  pillars  images  of  the  gods 
were  cut  out  also  in  five  rows,  one  above  the  other,  while  below 
were  hieroglyphic  inscriptions. 

On  the  walls  of  each  pylon  the  chief  place  was  occupied  by  a 
flat  sculpture  of  Rameses  the  Great,  who  held  in  one  hand  an 
uplifted  axe  and  grasped  in  the  other,  by  the  hair  of  the  head, 
a  crowd  of  people  tied  in  a  bundle,  like  parsley.  Above  the 
king  stood  or  sat  two  rows  of  gods ;  still  higher,  a  line  of 
people  with  offerings ;  at  the  very  summit  of  the  pylons  were 
winged  serpents  intertwined  with  scarabs. 

Those  pylons  with  walls  narrowing  toward  the  top,  the  gate 
which  connected  them,  the  flat  sculptures  in  which  order  was 
mingled  with  gloomy  fantasy  and  piety  with  cruelty,  produced  a 
tremendous  impression.  It  seemed  difficult  to  enter  that  place, 
impossible  to  go  out,  and  a  burden  to  live  there. 

From  the  gate,  before  which  stood  troops  and  a  throng  of 
small  officials,  those  who  entered  came  into  a  court  surrounded 
by  porticos  resting  on  pillars.  That  was  an  ornamental  garden, 
in  which  were  cultivated  aloes,  palms,  pomegranates,  and 
cedars  in  pots,  all  placed  in  rows  and  selected  according  to  size. 
In  the  middle  shot  up  a  fountain  ;  the  paths  were  sprinkled  with 
colored  sand. 

Under  the  gallery  sat  or  walked  higher  officials  of  the  state, 
speaking  in  low  tones. 


44  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

From  the  court,  through  a  high  door,  the  visitor  passed  to  a 
hall  of  twelve  lofty  columns.  The  hall  was  large,  but  as  the 
columns  also  were  large,  the  hall  seemed  diminutive.  It  was 
lighted  by  small  windows  in  the  walls  and  through  a  rectan 
gular  opening  in  the  roof.  Coolness  and  shade  prevailed  there  ; 
the  shade  was  almost  a  gloom,  which  did  not,  however,  prevent 
him  who  entered  from  seeing  the  yellow  walls  and  pillars,  cov 
ered  with  lines  of  paintings.  At  the  top  leaves  and  flowers 
were  represented ;  lower  down,  the  gods;  still  lower,  people 
who  carried  their  statues  or  brought  them  offerings ;  and  be 
tween  these  groups  were  lines  of  hieroglyphs. 

All  this  was  painted  in  clear,  almost  glaring  colors,  —  green, 
red,  and  blue. 

In  this  hall,  with  its  varied  mosaic  pavement,  stood  in  silence, 
white  robed  and  barefoot,  the  priests,  the  highest  dignitaries  of 
State,  Herhor,  the  minister  of  war,  also  the  leaders  Nitager 
and  Patrokles,  who  had  been  summoned  to  the  presence  of  the 
pharaoh. 

His  holiness  Rameses  XII.,  as  usual  before  he  held  council, 
was  placing  offerings  before  the  gods  in  his  chapel.  This  con 
tinued  rather  long.  Every  moment  some  priest  or  official  ran  in 
from  the  more  distant  chambers  and  communicated  news  touch 
ing  the  course  of  the  service. 

"  The  lord  has  broken  the  seal  to  the  chapel  —  He  is  washing 
the  sacred  divinity  —  Now  he  is  putting  it  away  —  Now  he  has 
closed  the  door  —  " 

On  the  faces  of  courtiers,  notwithstanding  their  offices,  con 
cern  and  humility  were  evident.  But  Herhor  was  indifferent, 
Patrokles  impatient,  and  Nitager  now  and  then  disturbed  with 
his  deep  voice  the  solemn  silence.  After  every  such  impolite 
sound  from  the  old  leader,  the  courtiers  moved,  like  frightened 
sheep,  and  looked  at  one  another,  as  if  saying,  — 

"  This  rustic  has  been  hunting  barbarians  all  his  life,  we  may 
pardon  him." 

From  remoter  chambers  were  heard  the  sound  of  bells  and  the 
clatter  of  weapons.  Into  the  hall  came  in  two  ranks  some  tens 
of  the  guard  in  gilt  helmets,  in  breastplates,  and  with  drawn 
swords,  next  two  ranks  of  priests,  and  at  last  appeared  the 
pharaoh,  carried  in  a  litter,  surrounded  by  clouds  of  smoke  and 
incense. 


THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST  45 

The  ruler  of  Egypt,  Rameses  XII.,  was  nearly  sixty  years 
old.  His  face  was  withered.  He  wore  a  white  mantle;  on  his 
head  was  a  red  and  white  cap  with  a  golden  serpent;  in  his 
hand  he  held  a  long  staff. 

When  the  retinue  showed  itself,  all  present  fell  on  their  faces, 
except  Patrokles,  who,  as  a  barbarian,  stopped  at  a  low  bow, 
while  Nitager  knelt  on  one  knee,  but  soon  rose  again. 

The  litter  stopped  before  a  baldachin  under  which  was  an 
ebony  throne  on  an  elevation.  The  pharaoh  descended  slowly 
from  the  litter,  looked  awhile  at  those  present,  and  then,  taking 
his  seat  on  the  throne,  gazed  fixedly  at  the  cornice  on  which  was 
painted  a  rose-colored  globe  with  blue  wings  and  green  serpents. 

On  the  right  of  the  pharaoh  stood  the  chief  scribe,  on  the 
left  a  judge  with  a  staff  ;  both  wore  immense  wigs. 

At  a  sign  from  the  judge  all  sat  down  or  knelt  on  the  pave 
ment,  while  the  scribe  said  to  the  pharaoh,  — 

"  Our  lord  and  mighty  ruler!  Thy  servant  Nitager,  the  great 
guard  on  the  eastern  boundary,  has  come  to  render  thee  hom 
age,  and  has  brought  tribute  from  conquered  nations  :  a  vase 
of  green  stone  filled  with  gold,  three  hundred  oxen,  a  hundred 
horses,  and  the  fragrant  wood  teshep/' 

"That  is  a  mean  tribute,  my  lord,"  said  Nitager.  "Real 
treasures  we  can  find  only  on  the  Euphrates,  where  splendid 
kings,  though  weak  so  far,  need  much  to  be  reminded  of 
Rameses  the  Great." 

"Answer  my  servant  Nitager,"  said  the  pharaoh  to  the 
scribe,  "that  his  words  will  be  taken  under  careful  considera 
tion.  But  now  ask  him  what  he  thinks  of  the  military  ability 
of  my  son  and  heir,  whom  he  had  the  honor  of  meeting  near 
Pi-Bailos  yesterday." 

"  Our  lord,  the  master  of  nine  nations,  asks  thee,  Nitager  —  " 
began  the  scribe. 

But  the  leader  interrupted  quickly,  to  the  great  dissatisfac 
tion  of  the  courtiers,  — 

"I  hear  myself  what  my  lord  says.  Only  the  heir  to  the 
throne  could  be  his  mouth  when  he  turns  to  me ;  not  them,  chief 
scribe." 

The  scribe  looked  with  consternation  at  the  daring  leader,  but 
the  pharaoh  answered,  - 


46  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"My  faithful  Nitager  speaks  truth." 

The  minister  of  war  bowed. 

Now  the  judge  announced  to  all  present  —  to  the  priests,  the 
officials,  and  the  guards  that  —  they  might  go  to  the  palace 
courtyard  ;  and  he  himself,  bowing  to  the  throne,  was  the  first  to 
go  thither.  In  the  hall  remained  only  the  pharaoh,  Herhor,  and 
the  two  leaders. 

"  Incline  thy  ears,  O  sovereign,  and  listen  to  complaints," 
began  Nitager.  "  This  morning  the  official  priest,  who  came  at 
thy  command  to  anoint  my  hair,  told  me  that  in  going  to  tbee  I 
was  to  leave  my  sandals  in  the  entrance  hall.  Meanwhile  it  is 
known,  not  only  in  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  but  in  the  Hittite 
country,  Libya,  Phoenicia,  and  the  land  of  Punt,  that  twenty 
years  ago  thou  didst  give  me  the  right  to  stand  before  thee  in 
sandals." 

"Thou  speakest  truth,"  said  the  pharaoh.  "Various  dis 
orders  have  crept  into  the  court  ceremonial.'7 

"  Only  give  command,  O  king,  and  my  veterans  will  produce 
order  immediately,"  added  Nitager. 

At  a  sign  given  by  the  minister  of  war,  a  number  of  officials 
ran  in  :  one  brought  sandals  and  put  them  on  Nitager's  feet ; 
others  put  down  costly  stools  for  the  minister  and  leaders. 

When  the  three  dignitaries  were  seated,  Rameses  XII.  said,  — 

"Tell  me,  Nitager,  dost  thou  think  that  my  sou  will  be  a 
leader?  —  But  tell  pure  truth." 

"By  Amon  of  Thebes,  by  the  glory  of  my  ancestors  in 
whom  was  blood  royal,  I  swear  that  thy  heir,  Prince  Rameses, 
will  be  a  great  leader,  if  the  gods  permit,"  replied  Nitager. 
"He  is  a  young  man,  a  lad  yet;  still  he  concentrated  his  regi 
ments,  eased  their  march,  and  provided  for  them.  He  pleased 
me  most  of  all  by  this,  that  he  did  not  lose  his  head  when  I  cut 
off  the  road  before  him,  but  led  his  men  to  the  attack.  He  will 
be  a  leader,  and  will  conquer  the  Assyrians,  whom  we  must 
vanquish  to-day  if  they  are  not  to  be  seen  on  the  Nile  by  our 
grandchildren." 

"What  dost  thou  say  to  that?"  inquired  the  pharaoh  of 
Herhor. 

"As  to  the  Assyrians,  I  think  that  the  worthy  Nitager  is 
concerned  about  them  too  early.  We  must  strengthen  our- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  47 

selves  well  before  we  begin  a  new  war.  As  to  the  heir,  Nitager 
says  justly  that  the  young  man  has  the  qualities  of  a  leader : 
he  is  as  keen  as  a  fox,  and  has  the  energy  of  a  lion.  Still  he 
made  many  blunders  yesterday. 

"Who  among  us  has  not  made  them?  "put  in  Patrokles, 
silent  thus  far. 

"The  heir,"  continued  the  minister,  "led  the  main  corps 
wisely,  but  he  neglected  his  staff;  through  this  neglect  we 
marched  so  slowly  and  in  such  disorder  that  Nitager  was  able 
to  cut  off  the  road  before  us." 

"  Perhaps  Rameses  counted  on  your  dignity,"  said  Nitager. 

"  In  government  and  war  we  must  count  on  no  man:  one 
unreckoned  little  stone  may  overturn  everything,"  said  the 
minister. 

"If  thou,  worthiness,"  answered  Patrokles,  "had  not  pushed 
the  columns  from  the  road  because  of  those  scarabs  —  " 

"Thou,  worthiness,  art  a  foreigner  and  an  unbeliever,"  re 
torted  Herhor,  "hence  this  speech.  But  we  Egyptians  under 
stand  that  when  the  people  and  the  soldiers  cease  to  reverence 
the  scarabs,  their  sons  will  cease  to  fear  the  nreus  (the  ser 
pent).  From  contempt  of  the  gods  is  born  revolt  against  the 
pharaohs." 

"  But  what  are  axes  for?"  asked  Nitager.  "  Whoso  wishes 
to  keep  a  head  on  his  shoulders  let  him  listen  to  the  supreme 
commander." 

"What  then  is  your  final  opinion  of  the  heir?"  asked  the 
pharaoh  of  Herhor. 

"  Living  image  of  the  sun,  child  of  the  gods,"  replied  the 
minister.  "  Command  to  anoint  Rameses,  give  him  a  grand 
chain  and  ten  talents,  but  do  not  appoint  him  yet  to  command 
the  corps  in  Memphis.  The  prince  is  too  young  for  that 
office,  too  passionate  and  inexperienced.  Can  we  recognize 
him  as  the  equal  of  Patrokles,  who  has  trampled  the  Ethiopians 
and  the  Libyans  in  twenty  battles?  Or  can  we  place  him  at 
the  side  of  Nitager,  whose  name  alone  brings  pallor  to  our 
northern  and  eastern  enemies?" 

The  pharaoh  rested  his  head  on  his  hand,  meditated,  and 
said,  — 

"Depart  with  my  favor  and  in  peace.  I  will  do  what  is 
indicated  by  wisdom  and  justice." 


48  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

The  dignitaries  bowed  low,  and  Rameses  XII.,  without  waiting 
for  his  suite,  passed  to  remoter  chambers. 

When  the  two  leaders  found  themselves  alone  in  the  entrance 
hall,  Nitager  said  to  Patrokles,  — 

"  Here  priests  rule  as  in  their  own  house.  I  see  that.  But 
what  a  leader  that  Herhor  is !  He  vanquished  us  before  we 
spoke ;  he  does  not  grant  a  corps  to  the  heir." 

"He  praised  me  so  that  I  dared  not  utter  a  word,"  said 
Patrokles. 

"  He  is  far  seeing,  and  does  not  tell  all  he  thinks.  In  the  wake 
of  the  heir  various  young  lords  who  go  to  war  taking  singers 
would  have  shoved  themselves  into  the  corps,  and  they  would 
occupy  the  highest  places.  Naturally  old  officers  would  fall 
into  idleness  from  anger,  because  promotion  had  missed  them ; 
the  exquisites  would  be  idle  for  the  sake  of  amusement,  and 
the  corps  would  break  up  without  even  meeting  an  enemy. 
Oh,  Herhor  is  a  sage !  " 

"  May  his  wisdom  not  cost  thee  more  than  the  inexperience 
of  Rameses,"  whispered  Patrokles. 

Through  a  series  of  chambers  filled  with  columns  and  adorned 
with  paintings,  where  at  each  door  priests  and  palace  officials 
gave  low  obeisances  before  him,  the  pharaoh  passed  to  his  cabi 
net.  That  was  a  lofty  hall  with  alabaster  walls  on  which  in 
gold  and  bright  colors  were  depicted  the  most  famous  events  in 
the  reign  of  Rameses  XII.,  therefore  homage  given  him  by  the 
inhabitants  of  Mesopotamia,  the  embassy  from  the  King  of 
Buchten,  and  the  triumphal  journey  of  the  god  Khousu  through 
the  land  of  that  potentate. 

In  this  hall  was  the  malachite  statue  of  the  bird-headed 
Horus,  adorned  with  gold  and  jewels.  In  front  of  the  statue 
was  an  altar  shaped  as  a  truncated  pyramid,  the  king's  armor, 
costly  armchairs  and  stools,  also  tables  covered  with  trifles 
and  small  objects. 

When  the  pharaoh  appeared,  one  of  the  priests  burnt  incense 
before  him,  and  one  of  the  officials  announced  Prince  Rameses, 
who  soon  entered  and  bowed  low  before  his  father.  On  the 
expressive  face  of  the  prince  feverish  disquiet  was  evident. 

"•  Erpatr,  I  rejoice,"  said  the  pharaoh,  "that  thou  hast  re 
turned  in  good  health  from  a  difficult  journey." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  49 

"  Mayst  thou  live  through  eternity,  holiness,  and  thy  affairs 
fill  the  two  worlds !  "  replied  Rameses. 

"  My  military  advisers  have  just  informed  me  of  thy  labor 
and  prudence." 

The  heir's  face  quivered  and  changed.  He  fixed  great  eyes 
on  the  pharaoh  and  listened. 

"Thy  deeds  will  not  remain  without  reward.  Thou  wilt 
receive  ten  talents,  a  great  chain,  and  two  Greek  regiments 
with  which  thou  wilt  exercise." 

Rameses  was  amazed,  but  after  a  while  he  asked  with  a 
stifled  voice,  — 

"  But  the  corps  in  Memphis?  " 

"In  a  year  we  will  repeat  the  mano3uvres,  and  if  thou 
make  no  mistake  in  leading  the  army  thou  wilt  get  the 
corps." 

"  I  know  that  Herhor  did  this !  "  cried  the  prince,  hardly 
restraining  his  anger. 

He  looked  around,  and  added,  u  I  can  never  be  alone  with 
thee,  my  father ;  strangers  are  always  between  us." 

The  pharaoh  moved  his  brows  slightly,  and  his  suite  vanished, 
like  a  crowd  of  shadows. 

"  What  hast  thou  to  tell  me?" 

"  Only  one  thing,  father.  Herhor  is  my  enemy.  He  accused 
me  to  thee  and  exposed  me  to  this  shame  !  " 

In  spite  of  his  posture  of  obedience  the  prince  gnawed  his 
lips  and  balled  his  fists. 

u  Herhor  is  thy  friend  and  my  faithful  servant.  It  was  his 
persuasion  that  made  thee  heir  to  the  throne.  But  —  I  —  will 
not  confide  a  corps  to  a  youthful  leader  who  lets  himself  be  cut 
off  from  his  army." 

"  I  joined  it,"  answered  the  crushed  heir;  "  but  Herhor 
commanded  to  march  around  two  beetles." 

"  Dost  thou  wish  that  a  priest  should  make  light  of  religion 
in  the  presence  of  the  army  ?  " 

"  My  father,"  whispered  Rameses,  with  quivering  voice,  "to 
avoid  spoiling  the  journey  of  the  beetles  a  canal  was  destroyed, 
and  a  man  was  killed." 

"  That  man  raised  his  own  hands  on  himself." 

"  But  that  was  the  fault  of  Herhor." 


50  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

44  In  the  regiments  which  thou  didst  concentrate  near  Pi- 
Bailos  thirty  men  died  from  over-exertion,  and  several  hundred 
are  sick." 

The  prince  dropped  his  head. 

44  Rameses,"  continued  the  pharaoh,  "  through  thy  lips  is 
speaking  not  a  dignitary  of  the  state  who  is  thinking  of  the 
soundness  of  canals  and  the  lives  of  laborers,  but  an  angry 
person.  Anger  does  not  accord  with  justice  any  more  than  a 
falcon  with  a  dove." 

44  Oh,  my  father,"  burst  out  the  heir,  "  if  auger  carries  me 
away,  it  is  because  I  feel  the  ill-will  of  the  priests  and  of 
Herhor." 

"But  thou  art  thyself  the  grandson  of  a  high  priest;  the 
priests  taught  thee.  Thou  hast  learned  more  of  their  secrets 
than  any  other  prince  ever  has." 

44  I  have  learned  their  insatiable  pride,  and  greed  of  power. 
And  because  I  will  abridge  it  they  are  my  enemies.  Herhor  is 
not  willing  to  give  me  even  a  corps,  for  he  wishes  to  manage 
the  whole  army." 

When  he  had  thrown  out  these  incautious  words,  the  heir  was 
frightened.  But  the  ruler  raised  his  clear  glance,  and  answered 
quietly,  — 

44  I  manage  the  state  and  the  army.  From  me  flow  all  com 
mands  and  decisions.  In  this  world  I  am  the  balance  of  Osiris, 
and  I  myself  weigh  the  services  of  my  servants,  be  they  the 
heir,  a  minister,  or  the  people.  Imprudent  would  he  be  who 
should  think  that  all  intrigues  are  not  known  to  me." 

44  But,  father,  if  thou  hadst  seen  with  thy  own  eyes  the 
course  of  the  manoeuvres  — 

44 1  might  have  seen  a  leader,"  interrupted  the  pharaoh, 
4  (  who  in  the  decisive  moment  was  chasing  through  the  bushes 
after  an  Israelite  maiden.  But  I  do  not  wish  to  observe  such 
stupidity." 

The  prince  fell  at  his  father's  feet,  and  whispered,  — 

44  Did  Tutmosis  speak  to  thee  of  that,  lord?" 

44  Tutmosis  is  a  child,  just  as  thou  art.  He  piles  up  debts 
as  chief  of  staff  in  the  corps  of  Memphis,  and  thinks  in  his 
heart  that  the  eyes  of  the  pharaoh  cannot  reach  to  his  deeds  in 
the  desert." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  51 


CHAPTER   VII 

SOME  days  later  Prince  Rameses  was  summoned  before  the 
face  of  his  most  worthy  mother,  Nikotris,  who  was  the 
second  wife  of  the  pharaoh,  but  now  the  greatest  lady  in  Egypt. 
The  gods  were  not  mistaken  when  they  called  her  to  be  the 
mother  of  a  pharaoh.  She  was  a  tall  person,  of  rather  full 
habit,  and  in  spite  of  forty  years  was  still  beautiful.  There  was 
iu  her  eyes,  face,  and  whole  form  such  majesty  that  even  when 
she  went  unattended,  in  the  modest  garb  of  a  priestess,  people 
bowed  their  heads  to  her. 

The  worthy  lady  received  Rameses  in  her  cabinet,  which  was 
paved  with  porcelain  tiles.  She  sat  on  an  inlaid  armchair 
under  a  palm-tree.  At  her  feet,  on  a  small  stool,  lay  a  little 
dog ;  on  the  other  side  knelt  a  black  slave  woman  with  a  fan. 
The  pharaoh's  wife  wore  a  muslin  robe  embroidered  with  gold, 
and  on  her  wig  a  circlet  in  the  form  of  a  lotus,  ornamented 
with  jewels. 

When  the  prince  had  bowed  low,  the  little  dog  sniffed  him, 
then  lay  down  again ;  while  the  lady,  nodding  her  head,  made 
inquiry,  — 

44  For  what  reason,  O  Rameses,  hast  thou  desired  an  inter 
view?" 

"  Two  days  ago,  mother." 

"  I  knew  that  thou  wert  occupied.  But  to-day  we  both  have 
time,  and  I  can  listen." 

"Thy  speech,  mother,  acts  on  me  as  a  strong  wind  of  the 
desert,  and  I  have  no  longer  courage  to  present  my  petition." 

44  Then  surely  it  is  a  question  of  money." 

Rameses  dropped  his  head  ;  he  was  confused. 

"  But  dost  thou  need  much  money?  " 

"  Fifteen  talents  —  " 

'4  O  gods !  "  cried  the  lady,  44  but  a  couple  of  days  ago  ten 
talents  were  paid  thee  from  the  treasury.  Go,  girl,  into  the 


52  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

garden  ;  thou  must  be  tired, "  said  she  to  the  black  slave ;  and 
when  alone  with  her  son  she  asked,  — 

"  But  is  thy  Jewess  so  demanding?  " 

Rameses  blushed,  but  raised  his  head. 

"  Thou  knowest,  mother,  that  she  is  not.  P>ut  I  promised  a 
reward  to  the  army,  and  —  I  am  unable  to  pay  it." 

The  queen  looked  at  him  with  calm  loftiness. 

"  How  evil  it  is,"  said  she,  after  a  while,  "  when  a  son  makes 
decisions  without  consulting  his  mother.  Just  now  I,  remem 
bering  thy  age,  wished  to  give  thee  a  Phoenician  slave  maiden 
sent  me  by  Tyre  with  ten  talents  for  dowry.  But  thou  hast 
preferred  a  Jewess." 

"  She  pleased  me.  There  is  not  such  a  beauty  among  thy 
serving  maidens,  mother,  nor  even  among  the  wives  of  his 
holiness." 

"  But  she  is  a  Jewess !  " 

"  Be  not  prejudiced,  mother,  I  beg  of  thee.  It  is  untrue  that 
Jews  eat  pork  and  kill  cats." 

The  worthy  lady  laughed. 

"  Thou  art  speaking  like  some  boy  from  a  primary  school," 
answered  she,  shrugging  her  shoulders,  "and  hast  forgotten 
the  words  of  Rameses  the  Great :  '  The  yellow  people  are  more 
numerous  than  we  and  they  are  richer ;  let  us  act  against  them, 
lest  they  grow  too  powerful,  but  let  us  act  carefully.'  I  do  not 
think,  therefore,  that  a  girl  of  that  people  is  the  one  to  be 
first  mistress  of  the  heir  to  the  throne." 

"  Can  the  words  of  Rameses  the  Great  apply  to  the  daughter 
of  a  poor  tenant?"  asked  the  prince.  "  Besides,  where  are  the 
Jews?  Three  centuries  ago  they  left  Egypt,  and  to-day  they 
form  a  little  state,  ridiculous  and  priest-governed." 

"  I  see,"  answered  the  worthy  lady,  frowning  slightly,  "that 
thy  mistress  is  not  losing  time.  Be  careful,  Rameses  ;  remember, 
that  their  leader  was  Messu  (Moses),  that  traitor  priest  whom 
we  curse  to  this  day  in  our  temples.  Remember  that  the  Jews 
bore  away  out  of  Egypt  more  treasures  than  the  labor  of  their 
few  generations  was  worth  to  us ;  they  took  with  them  not  only 
gold,  but  the  faith  in  one  god,  and  our  sacred  laws,  which 
they  give  out  to-day  as  their  own  faith  and  laws.  Last  of 
all,  know  this,"  added  she,  with  great  emphasis,  "  that  the 


THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST  53 

daughters  of  that  people  prefer  death  to  the  bed  of  a  foreigner. 
And  if  they  give  themselves  even  to  hostile  leaders,  it  is  to  use 
them  for  their  policy  or  to  kill  them." 

"  Believe  me,  mother,  that  it  is  our  priests  who  spread  all 
these  reports.  They  will  not  admit  to  the  footstool  of  the 
throne  people  of  another  faith  lest  .those  people  might  serve  the 
pharaoh  in  opposition  to  their  order." 

The  queen  rose  from  the  armchair,  and  crossing  her  arms  on 
her  breast,  gazed  at  her  son  with  amazement. 

"  What  they  tell  me  is  true  then,  thou  art  an  enemy  of  our 
priests.  Thou,  their  favorite  pupil !  " 

"  I  must  have  the  traces  of  their  canes  to  this  day  on  my 
shoulders,"  said  Rameses. 

"  But  thy  grandfather  and  my  father,  Amenhotep,  was  a 
high  priest,  and  possessed  extensive  power  in  this  country." 

"Just  because  my  grandfather  was  a  pharaoh,  and  my 
father  is  a  pharaoh  also,  I  cannot  endure  the  rule  of 
Herhor." 

"  He  was  brought  to  his  position  by  thy  grandfather,  the 
holy  Ameuh6tep." 

"  And  I  will  cast  him  down  from  it." 

The  mother  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

41  And  it  is  thou,"  answered  she,  with  sadness,  "  who  wishest 
to  lead  a  corps?  But  thou  art  a  spoiled  girl,  not  a  man  and  a 
leader  —  " 

"How  is  that?"  interrupted  the  prince,  restraining  himself 
with  difficulty  from  an  outburst. 

"  I  cannot  recognize  my  own  son.  I  do  not  see  in  thee  the 
future  lord  of  Egypt.  The  dynasty  in  thy  person  will  be  like 
a  Nile  boat  without  a  rudder.  Thou  wilt  drive  the  priests  from 
the  court,  but  who  will  remain  with  thee  ?  Who  will  be  thy  eye 
in  the  Lower  and  the  Upper  Country,  who  in  foreign  lands? 
But  the  pharaoh  must  see  everything,  whatever  it  be,  on  which 
fall  the  divine  rays  of  Osiris." 

u  The  priests  will  be  my  servants,  not  my  ministers." 

"  They  are  the  most  faithful  servants.  Thanks  to  their 
prayers  thy  father  reigns  thirty-three  years,  and  avoids  war 
which  might  be  fatal." 

"  To  the  priests?" 


54  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

1  'To  the  pharaoh  and  the  state!"  interrupted  the  lady. 
"  Knowest  thou  what  takes  place  in  our  treasury,  from  which 
in  one  day  thou  takest  ten  talents  and  desirest  fifteen  more? 
Knowest  thou  that  were  it  not  for  the  liberality  of  the  priests, 
who  on  behalf  of  the  treasury  even  take  real  jewels  from  the 
gods  and  put  false  ones  in  their  places,  the  property  of  the 
pharaoh  would  be  now  in  the  hands  of  Phoenicians?  " 

"  One  fortunate  war  would  overflow  our  treasury  as  the  in 
crease  of  the  Nile  does  our  fields." 

"  No.  Thou,  Rameses,  art  such  a  child  yet  that  we  may  not 
even  reckon  thy  godless  words  as  sinful.  Occupy  thyself,  I 
beg,  with  thy  Greek  regiments,  get  rid  of  the  Jew  girl  as 
quickly  as  may  be,  and  leave  politics  to  us." 

"  Why  must  I  put  away  Sarah?" 

"  Shouldst  thou  have  a  son  from  her,  complications  might 
rise  in  the  State,  which  is  troubled  enough  as  matters  now  are. 
Thou  mayst  be  angry  with  the  priests,"  added  she,  "if  thou 
wilt  not  offend  them  in  public.  They  know  that  it  is  necessary 
to  overlook  much  in  an  heir  to  the  throne,  especially  when  he 
has  such  a  stormy  character.  But  time  pacifies  everything  to 
the  glory  of  the  dynasty  and  the  profit  of  Egypt." 

The  prince  meditated ;  then  he  said  suddenly,  — 

"  I  cannot  count,  therefore,  on  money  from  the  treasury." 

4 'Thou  canst  not  in  any  case.  The  grand  secretary  would 
have  been  forced  to  stop  payment  to-day  had  I  not  given  him 
fourteen  talents  sent  from  Tyre  to  me." 

"And  what  shall  I  do  with  the  army?"  asked  the  prince, 
rubbing  his  forehead  impatiently. 

"Put  away  the  Jewess,  and  beg  the  priests.  Perhaps  they 
will  make  a  loan  to  thee." 

"  Never!     I  prefer  a  loan  from  Phoenicians." 

The  lady  shook  her  head. 

"  Thou  art  erpatr,  act  as  may  please  thee.  But  I  say  that 
fchou  must  give  great  security,  and  the  Phoenicians,  when  once 
thy  creditors,  will  not  let  thee  go.  They  surpass  the  Jews  in 
treachery." 

"  A  part  of  my  income  will  suffice  to  cover  such  debts." 

"  We  shall  see.  I  wish  sincerely  to  help  thee,  but  I  have 
not  the  means,"  said  the  lady,  sadly.  "  Do,  then,  as  thou  art 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  55 

able,  but  remember  that  the  Phoenicians  in  our  state  are  like 
rats  in  a  granary ;  when  one  pushes  in  through  a  crevice,  others 
follow." 

Rameses  loitered  in  leave-taking. 

"  Hast  thou  something  more  to  tell  me?"  inquired  the  queen. 

"I  should  like  to  ask —  My  heart  divines  that  thou, 
mother,  hast  some  plans  regarding  me.  What  are  they?" 

She  stroked  his  face. 

u  Not  now  —  not  yet.  Thou  art  free  to-day,  like  every 
young  noble  in  the  country ;  then  make  use  of  thy  freedom. 
But,  Rameses,  the  time  is  coming  when  thou  wilt  have  to  take 
a  wife  whose  children  will  be  princes  of  the  blood  royal  and 
whose  son  will  be  thy  heir.  I  am  thinking  of  that  time  —  " 

"And  what?" 

"  Nothing  defined  yet.  In  every  case  political  wisdom  sug 
gests  to  me  that  thy  wife  should  be  a  priest's  daughter." 

"  Perhaps  Herhor's?"  said  the  prince,  with  a  laugh. 

"  What  would  there  be  blamable  in  that?  Herhor  will  be 
high  priest  in  Thebes  very  soon,  and  his  daughter  is  only  four 
teen  years  of  age." 

"  And  would  she  consent  to  occupy  the  place  of  the  Jewess? " 
asked  Rameses,  ironically. 

"  Thou  shouldst  try  to  have  people  forget  thy  present  error." 

"  I  kiss  thy  feet,  mother,  and  I  go,"  said  the  prince,  seizing 
his  own  head.  "•  I  hear  so  many  marvellous  things  here  that  I 
begin  to  fear  lest  the  Nile  may  flow  up  toward  the  cataract,  or 
the  pyramids  pass  over  to  the  eastern  desert." 

"  Blaspheme  not,  my  child,*'  whispered  the  lady,  gazing 
with  fear  at  Rameses.  "  In  this  land  most  wonderful  miracles 
are  seen." 

"  Are  not  they  this,  that  the  walls  of  the  palace  listen  to 
their  owners?  "  asked  her  son,  with  a  bitter  smile. 

14  Men  have  witnessed  the  death  of  pharaohs  who  had 
reigned  a  few  months  only,  and  the  fall  of  dynasties  which  had 
governed  nine  nations." 

44  Yes,  for  those  pharaohs  forgot  the  sword  for  the  distaff," 
retorted  Rameses. 

He  bowed  and  went  out. 

In  proportion  as  the  sound  of  Rameses'  steps  grew   less  in 


56  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  immense  antechamber,  the  face  of  the  worthy  lady  changed; 
the  place  of  majesty  was  taken  by  pain  and  fear,  while  tears 
were  glistening  in  her  great  eyes. 

She  ran  to  the  statue  of  the  goddess,  knelt,  and  sprinkling 
incense  from  India  on  the  coals,  began  to  pray,  — 

"  O  Isis,  Isis,  Isis  !  three  times  do  I  pronounce  thy  name.  O 
Isis,  who  givest  birth  to  serpents,  crocodiles,  and  ostriches,  may 
thy  name  be  thrice  praised.  O  Isis,  who  preservest  grains  of 
wheat  from  robber  whirlwinds,  and  the  bodies  of  our  fathers 
from  the  destructive  toil  of  time,  0  Isis,  take  pity  on  my  son 
and  preserve  him  !  Thrice  be  thy  name  repeated  —  and  here  — 
and  there  — and  beyond,  to-day  and  forever,  and  for  the  ages 
of  ages,  as  long  as  the  temples  of  our  gods  shall  gaze  on  them 
selves  in  the  waters  of  the  Nile." 

Thus  praying  and  sobbing,  the  queen  bowed  down  and  touched 
the  pavement  with  her  forehead.  Above  her  at  that  moment  a 
low  whisper  was  audible,  — 

"  The  voice  of  the  just  is  heard  always." 

The  worthy  lady  sprang  up,  and  full  of  astonishment  looked 
around.  But  there  was  no  one  in  the  chamber.  Only  the 
painted  flowers  gazed  at  her  from  the  walls,  and  from  above 
the  altar  the  .statue  of  the  goddess  full  of  superterrestrial 
calm. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE  prince  returned  to  his  villa  full  of  care,  and  sum 
moned  Tutmosis. 

"  Thou  must,"  said  Rameses,  "  teach  me  how  to  find  money." 

"Ha!"  laughed  the  exquisite;  "that  is  a  kind  of  wisdom 
not  taught  in  the  highest  school  of  the  priests,  but  wisdom  in 
which  I  might  be  a  prophet." 

"  In  those  schools  they  explain  that  a  man  should  not  borrow 
money,"  said  Rameses. 

"If  I  did  not  fear  that  blasphemy  might  stain  my  lips,  I 
should  say  that  some  priests  waste  their  time.  They  are 
wretched,  though  holy !  They  eat  no  meat,  they  are  satisfied 
with  one  wife,  or  avoid  women  altogether,  and  —  they  know 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  57 

not  what  it  is  to  borrow.  I  am  satisfied,  Rameses,"  continued 
the  exquisite,  "that  thou  wilt  know  this  kind  of  wisdom 
through  my  counsels.  To-day  thou  wilt  learn  what  a  source  of 
sensations  lack  of  money  is.  A  man  in  need  of  money  has  no 
appetite,  he  springs  up  in  sleep,  he  looks  at  women  with 
astonishment,  as  if  to  ask,  'Why  were  they  created?'  Fire 
flashes  in  his  face  in  the  coolest  temple.  In  the  middle  of  a 
desert  shivers  of  cold  pass  through  him  during  the  greatest 
heat.  He  looks  like  a  madman  ;  he  does  not  hear  what  people 
say  to  him.  Very  often  he  walks  along  with  his  wig  awry  and 
forgets  to  sprinkle  it  with  perfume.  His  only  comfort  is 
a  pitcher  of  strong  wine,  and  that  for  a  brief  moment.  Barely 
has  the  poor  man's  thoughts  come  back  when  again  he  feels  as 
though  the  earth  were  opening  under  him. 

"I  see,"  continued  the  exquisite,  "  that  at  present  thou  art 
passing  through  despair  from  lack  of  money.  But  soon  thou 
wilt  know  other  feelings  which  will  be  as  if  a  great  sphinx 
were  removed  from  thy  bosom.  Then  thou  wilt  yield  to  the 
sweet  condition  of  forgetting  thy  previous  trouble  and  present 
creditors,  and  then  —  Ah,  happy  Rameses,  unusual  surprises 
will  await  thee !  For  the  term  will  pass,  and  thy  creditors  will 
begin  to  visit  thee  under  pretence  of  paying  homage.  Thou 
wilt  be  like  a  deer  hunted  by  dogs,  or  an  Egyptian  girl  who, 
while  raising  water  from  the  river,  sees  the  knotty  back  of  a 
crocodile  —  " 

"All  this  seems  very  gladsome,"  interrupted  Rameses,  smil 
ing  ;  "  but  it  brings  not  one  drachma." 

"Never  mind,"  continued  Tutmosis.  UI  will  go  this  mo 
ment  to  Dagon,  the  Phoenician  banker,  and  in  the  evening  thou 
wilt  find  peace,  though  he  may  not  have  given  thee  money." 

He  hastened  out,  took  his  seat  in  a  small  litter,  and  sur 
rounded  by  servants  vanished  in  the  alleys  of  the  park. 

Before  sunset  Dagon,  a  Phoenician,  the  most  noted  banker  in 
Memphis,  came  to  the  house  of  Rameses.  He  was  a  man  in 
the  full  bloom  of  life,  yellow,  lean,  but  well  built.  He  wore  a 
blue  tunic  and  over  it  a  white  robe  of  thin  texture.  He  had 
immense  hair  of  his  own,  confined  by  a  gold  circlet,  and  a 
great  black  beard,  his  own  also.  This  rich  growth  looked 
imposing  in  comparison  with  the  wigs  and  false  beards  of 
Egyptian  exquisites. 


58  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  dwelling  of  the  heir  to  the  throne  was  swarming  with 
youth  of  the  aristocracy.  Some  on  the  ground  floor  were  bath 
ing  and  anointing  themselves,  others  were  playing  chess  and 
checkers  on  the  first  story,  others  in  company  with  dancing- 
girls  were  drinking  under  tents  on  the  terrace.  Rameses  neither 
drank,  played,  nor  talked  with  women;  he  walked  along  one 
side  of  the  terrace  awaiting  the  Phoenician  impatiently.  When 
he  saw  him  emerge  from  an  alley  in  a  litter  on  two  asses,  he 
went  to  the  first  story,  where  there  was  an  unoccupied  chamber. 

After  awhile  Dagon  appeared  in  the  door.  He  knelt  on  the 
threshold  and  exclaimed,  — 

"  I  greet  thee,  new  sun  of  Egypt!  Mayst  thou  live  through 
eternity,  and  may  thy  glory  reach  those  distant  shores  which 
are  visited  by  the  ships  of  Phoenicia." 

At  command  of  the  prince,  he  rose  and  said  with  violent 
gesticulations,  - 

"  When  the  worthy  Tutmosis  descended  before  my  mud  hut — 
my  house  is  a  mud  hut  in  comparison  with  thy  palaces,  erpatr 
—  such  was  the  gleam  from  his  face  that  I  cried  at  once  to  my 
wife,  '  Tamara,  the  worthy  Tutmosis  has  come  not  from  him 
self,  but  from  one  as  much  higher  than  he  as  the  Lebanon  is 
higher  than  the  sand  of  the  seashore.'  '  Whence  dost  thou 
know,  my  lord,  that  the  worthy  Tutmosis  has  not  come  for 
himself?'  'Because  he  could  not  come  with  money,  since  he 
has  none,  and  he  could  not  come  for  money,  because  I  have 
none.'  At  that  moment  we  bowed  down  both  of  us  to  the 
worthy  Tutmosis.  But  when  he  told  us  that  it  was  thou,  most 
worthy  lord,  who  desirest  fifteen  talents  from  thy  slave,  I  asked 
my  wife,  'Tamara,  did  my  heart  teach  me  badly?'  'Dagon, 
thou  art  so  wise  that  thou  shouldst  be  an  adviser  to  the  heir,' 
replied  my  Tamara." 

Rameses  was  boiling  with  impatience,  but  he  listened  to  the 
banker,  —  he,  Rameses,  who  stormed  in  the  presence  of  his  own 
mother  and  the  pharaoh. 

"When  we,  lord,  stopped  and  understood  that  thou  wert 
desirous  of  my  services,  such  delight  entered  my  house  that  I 
ordered  to  give  the  servants  ten  pitchers  of  beer,  and  my  wife 
Tamara  commanded  me  to  buy  her  new  earrings.  My  joy  was 
increased  so  that  when  coming  hither  I  did  not  let  my  driver 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  59 

beat  the  asses.  And  when  my  unworthy  feet  touched  thy  floor, 
O  prince,  I  took  out  a  gold  ring,  greater  than  that  which  the 
worthy  Herhor  gave  Eunana,  and  presented  it  to  thy  slave  who 
poured  water  on  my  fingers.  With  permission,  worthiness, 
whence  came  that  silver  pitcher  from  which  they  poured  the 
water?" 

"  Azarias,  the  son  of  Gaber,  sold  it  to  me  for  two  talents." 

"A  Jew?  Erpatr,  dost  thou  deal  with  Jews?  But  what 
will  the  gods  say?" 

"  Azarias  is  a  merchant,  as  thou  art,"  answered  Rameses. 

When  Dagon  heard  this,  he  caught  his  head  with  both  hands, 
he  spat  and  groaned,  — 

"  O  Baal  Tammuz  !  O  Baaleth  !  O  Astoreth  !  —  Azarias, 
the  son  of  Gaber,  a  Jew,  to  be  such  a  merchant  as  I  am.  Oh, 
my  legs,  why  did  ye  bring  me  hither?  Oh,  my  heart,  why  dost 
thou  suffer  such  pain  and  palpitation?  Most  worthy  prince," 
cried  the  Phoenician,  "slay  me,  cut  off  my  hand  if  I  counterfeit 
gold,  but  say  not  that  a  Jew  can  be  a  merchant.  Sooner  will 
Tyre  fall  to  the  earth,  sooner  will  sand  occupy  the  site  of  Sidon 
than  a  Jew  be  a  merchant.  They  will  milk  their  lean  goats,  or 
mix  clay  with  straw  under  blows  of  Egyptian  sticks,  but  they 
will  never  sell  merchandise.  Tfu  !  tfu  !  Vile  nation  of  slaves  ! 
Thieves,  robbers ! " 

Anger  boiled  up  in  the  prince,  it  is  unknown  why,  but  he 
calmed  himself  quickly.  This  seemed  strange  to  Rameses 
himself,  who  up  to  that  hour  had  not  thought  self-restraint 
needed  in  his  case  in  presence  of  any  one. 

"  And  then,"  said  the  heir  on  a  sudden,  "wilt  thou,  worthy 
Dagon,  loan  me  fifteen  talents?" 

u  O  Astoreth  !  Fifteen  talents?  That  is  such  a  great  weight 
that  I  should  have  to  sit  down  to  think  of  it  properly." 

44  Sit  down  then." 

4 'For  a  talent,"  said  Dagon,  sitting  in  an  armchair  comfort 
ably,  44  a  man  can  have  twelve  gold  chains,  or  sixty  beautiful 
milch  cows,  or  ten  slaves  for  labor,  or  one  slave  to  play  on  the 
flute  or  paint,  and  maybe  even  to  cure.  A  talent  is  tremendous 
property  —  " 

The  prince's  eyes  flashed,  — 

"Then  thou  hast  not  fifteen  talents?" 


60  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  terrified  Phoenician  slipped  suddenly  from  the  chair  to 
the  floor. 

"Who  in  the  city,"  cried  he,  "has  not  money  at  thy  com 
mand,  O  child  of  the  sun?  It  is  true  that  I  am  a  wretch  whose 
gold,  precious  stones,  and  whole  property  is  not  worth  one 
glance  of  thine,  O  prince,  but  if  I  go  around  among  our  mer 
chants  and  say  who  sent  me,  I  shall  get  fifteen  talents  even 
from  beneath  the  earth.  Erpatr,  if  thou  shouldst  stand  before 
a  withered  fig-tree  and  say  '  Give  money  !  '  the  fig-tree  would  pay 
thee  a  ransom.  But  do  not  look  at  me  in  that  way,  O  son  of 
Horus,  for  I  feel  a  pain  in  the  pit  of  my  heart  and  my  mind  is 
growing  blunted,"  finished  the  Phoenician,  in  tones  of  entreaty. 

"Well,  sit  in  the  chair,  sit  in  the  chair,"  said  the  prince, 
laughing. 

Dagon  rose  from  the  floor  and  disposed  himself  still  more 
agreeably  in  the  armchair. 

"  For  how  long  a  time  does  the  prince  wish  fifteen  talents?" 

"  Certainly  for  a  year." 

"  Let  us  say  at  once  three  years.  Only  his  holiness  might 
give  back  fifteen  talents  in  the  course  of  a  year,  but  not  the 
youthful  heir,  who  must  receive  young  pleasant  nobles  and 
beautiful  women.  —  Ah,  those  women !  —  Is  it  true,  with  thy 
permission,  that  thou  hast  taken  to  thyself  Sarah  the  daughter 
of  Gideon?" 

"  But  what  per  cent  dost  thou  wish?"  interrupted  Rameses. 

"A  trifle,  which  thy  sacred  lips  need  not  mention.  For  fif 
teen  talents  the  prince  will  give  five  talents  yearly,  and  in  the 
course  of  three  years  I  will  take  back  all  myself,  so  that  thou, 
worthiness,  wilt  not  even  know  —  " 

"Thou  wilt  give  me  to-day  fifteen  talents,  and  during  three 
years  take  back  thirty  ?  " 

"  Egyptian  law  permits  percentage  to  equal  the  loan," 
answered  Dagon,  confusedly. 

"  But  is  that  not  too  much?" 

"Too  much?"  cried  out  Dagon.  "  Every  great  lord  has  a 
great  court,  a  great  property,  and  pays  no  per  cent  save  a 
great  one.  I  should  be  ashamed  to  take  less  from  the  heir  to 
the  throne ;  if  I  did  the  prince  himself  might  command  to  beat 
me  with  sticks  and  to  drive  me  out  of  his  presence." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  61 

"  When  wilt  thou  bring  the  money  ?  " 

"Bring  it?  O  gods,  one  man  would  not  have  strength  to 
bring  so  much.  I  will  do  better :  I  will  make  all  payments  for 
the  prince,  so  that,  worthiness,  thou  wilt  not  need  to  think  of 
such  a  wretched  matter." 

u  Then  dost  thou  know  my  debts?" 

"  I  know  them  a  little,"  answered  Dagon,  carelessly. 

"  The  prince  wishes  to  send  six  talents  to  the  Eastern  army ; 
that  will  be  done  by  our  bankers.  Three  talents  to  the  worthy 
Nitager  and  three  to  the  worthy  Patrokles ;  that  will  be  done 
here  immediately.  Sarah  and  her  father  I  can  pay  through 
that  mangy  Azarias  —  even  better  to  pay  them  thus,  for  they 
would  cheat  the  prince  in  reckoning." 

Rameses  began  to  walk  through  the  room  impatiently. 

c '  Then  am  I  to  give  a  note  for  thirty  talents  ?  " 

"What  note?  why  a  note?  what  good  would  a  note  be  to 
me?  The  prince  will  rent  me  for  three  years  lands  in  the 
provinces  of  Takeus,  Ses,  Neha-Ment,  Neha-Pechu,  in  Sebt- 
Het,  in  Habu." 

"  Rent  them?  "  said  the  prince.    "  That  does  not  please  me." 

"  Whence  then  am  I  to  get  back  my  money,  my  thirty 
talents?  " 

"  Wait!  I  must  ask  the  inspector  of  my  granaries  how  much 
these  properties  bring  me  in  yearly." 

"  Why  so  much  trouble,  worthiness?  What  does  the  in 
spector  know  ?  He  knows  nothing ;  as  I  am  an  honest  Phoeni 
cian,  he  knows  nothing.  Each  year  the  harvest  is  different,  and 
the  income  different  also.  I  may  lose  in  this  business,  and  the 
inspector  would  make  no  return  to  me." 

"  But  seest  thou,  Dagon,  it  seems  to  me  that  those  lands 
bring  far  more  than  ten  talents  yearly." 

"  The  prince  is  unwilling  to  trust  me?  Well,  at  command  of 
the  heir  I  will  drop  out  the  land  of  Ses.  The  prince  is  not  sure 
of  my  heart  yet?  Well,  I  will  yield  Sebt-Het  also.  But  what 
use  for  an  inspector  here?  Will  he  teach  the  prince  wisdom? 
O  Astoreth !  I  should  lose  sleep  and  appetite  if  such  an  over 
seer,  subject  and  slave,  dared  to  correct  my  gracious  lord. 
Here  is  needed  only  a  scribe  who  will  write  down  that  my  most 
worthy  lord  gives  me  as  tenant  for  three  years  lands  in  such 


62  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

and  such  a  province.  And  sixteen  witnesses  will  be  needed  to 
testify  that  such  an  honor  from  the  prince  has  come  to  me. 
But  why  should  servants  know  that  their  lord  borrows  money 
from  Dagon  ?  " 

The  wearied  heir  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"To-morrow,"  said  he,  "  thou  wilt  bring  the  money,  and 
bring  a  scribe  and  witnesses.  I  do  not  wish  to  think  of  it." 

"  Oh,  what  wise  words  !  "  cried  the  Phoenician.  "  Mayst 
thou  live,  worthiest  lord,  through  eternity !  " 


CHAPTER   IX 

ON  the  right  bank  of  the  Nile,  on  the  edge  of  the  northern 
suburb  of  Memphis,  was  that  land  which  the  heir  to  the 
throne  had  given  as  place  of  residence  to  Sarah  the  daughter 
of  Gideon. 

That  was  a  possession  thirty-five  acres  in  area,  forming  a 
quadrangle  which  was  seen  from  the  house-top  as  something 
on  the  palm  of  the  hand.  The  land  was  on  a  hill  and  was 
divided  into  four  elevations.  The  two  lowest  and  widest, 
which  the  Nile  always  flooded,  were  intended  for  grain  and 
for  vegetables.  The  third,  which  at  times  was  untouched  by 
the  overflow,  produced  palms,  figs,  and  other  fruit-trees.  On 
the  fourth,  the  highest,  was  a  garden  planted  with  olives, 
grapes,  nuts,  and  sweet  chestnuts;  in  the  middle  garden  stood 
the  dwelling. 

This  dwelling  was  of  wood,  one  story,  as  usual,  with  a  flat 
roof  on  which  was  a  tent  made  of  canvas.  On  the  ground 
dwelt  the  prince's  black  slave ;  above  Sarah  with  her  relative 
and  serving-woman  Tafet.  The  place  was  surrounded  by  a 
wall  of  partially  burnt  brick,  beyond  which  at  a  certain  distance 
were  houses  for  cattle,  workmen,  and  overseers. 

Sarah's  chambers  were  not  large,  but  they  were  elegant.  On 
the  floor  were  divans,  at  the  doors  and  windows  were  curtains 
with  stripes  of  various  colors.  There  were  armchairs  and  a 
carved  bed,  inlaid  boxes  for  clothing,  three-legged  and  one- 
legged  tables  on  which  were  pots  with  flowers,  a  slender  pitcher 
for  wine,  boxes  and  bottles  of  perfume,  golden  and  silver  cups 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  63 

and  goblets,  porcelain  vases  and  dishes,  bronze  candlesticks. 
Even  the  smallest  furniture  or  vessel  was  ornamented  with 
carving  or  with  a  colored  drawing ;  every  piece  of  clothing 
with  lace  or  bordering. 

Sarah  had  dwelt  ten  days  in  this  retreat,  hiding  herself  be 
fore  people  from  fear  and  shame,  so  that  almost  no  one  of  the 
servants  had  seen  her.  In  the  curtained  chamber  she  sewed, 
wove  linen  on  a  small  loom,  or  twined  garlands  of  living 
flowers  for  Rameses.  Sometimes  she  went  out  on  the  terrace, 
pushed  apart  the  sides  of  the  tent  with  care,  and  looked  at  the 
Nile  covered  with  boats  in  which  oarsmej*  were  singing  songs 
joyfully.  On  raising  her  eyes  she  looked  with  fear  at  the 
gray  pylons  of  the  pharaoh's  palace,  which  towered  silent  and 
gloomy  above  the  other  bank  of  the  river.  Then  she  ran  again 
to  her  work  and  called  Tafet. 

"Sit  here,  mother,"  said  she;  "  what  art  thou  doing  down 
there?" 

"  The  gardener  has  brought  fruit,  and  they  have  sent  bread, 
wine,  and  game  from  the  city  ;  I  must  take  them." 

"  Sit  here  and  talk,  for  fear  seizes  me." 

"Thou  art  a  foolish  child,"  said  Tafet,  smiling.  "Fear 
looked  at  me  too  the  first  day  from  every  corner ;  but  when  I 
went  out  beyond  the  wall,  there  was  no  more  of  it.  Whom  have 
I  to  fear  here?  All  fall  on  their  knees  before  me.  Before  thee 
they  would  stand  on  their  heads  even  !  Go  to  the  garden ;  it  is 
as  beautiful  as  paradise.  Look  out  at  the  field,  see  the  wheat 
harvest ;  sit  down  in  the  carved  boat  the  owner  of  which  ia 
withering  from  anxiety  to  see  thee  and  take  thee  out  on  the 
river." 

"I  am  afraid." 

"Of  what?" 

"  Do  I  know?  While  T  am  sewing,  I  think  that  I  am  in  our 
valley  and  that  my  father  will  come  right  away  ;  but  when  the 
wind  pushes  the  curtain  aside  from  the  window  and  I  look  on 
this  great  country  it  seems  to  me,  —  knowest  what?  —  that  some 
mighty  vulture  has  caught  and  borne  me  to  his  nest  on  a 
mountain,  whence  I  have  no  power  to  save  myself." 

"  Ah,  thou  —  thou  !  If  thou  hadst  seen  what  a  bathtub  the 
prince  sent  this  morning,  a  bronze  one;  and  what  a  tripod  for 


64  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  fire,  what  pots  and  spits!  And  if  thou  knew  that  to-day 
I  have  put  two  hens  to  set,  and  before  long  we  shall  have  little 
chicks  here." 

Sarah  was  more  daring  after  sunset,  when  no  one  could  see 
her.  She  went  out  on  the  roof  and  looked  at  the  river.  And 
when  from  afar  a  boat  appeared,  flaming  with  torches,  which 
formed  fiery  and  bloody  lines  along  the  dark  water,  she 
pressed  with  both  hands  her  poor  heart,  which  quivered  like  a 
bird  caught  that  instant.  Rameses  was  coming,  and  she  could 
not  tell  what  had  seized  her,  —  delight  because  that  beautiful 
youth  was  approaching  whom  she  had  seen  in  the  valley,  or 
dread  because  she  would  see  again  a  great  lord  and  ruler  who 
made  her  timid. 

One  Sabbath  evening  her  father  came  for  the  first  time  since 
she  had  settled  in  that  villa.  Sarah  rushed  to  him  with  weep 
ing  ;  she  washed  his  feet  herself,  poured  perfumes  on  his  head, 
and  covered  him  with  kisses.  Gideon  was  an  old  man  of 
stern  features.  He  wore  a  long  robe  reaching  his  feet  and 
edged  at  the  bottom  with  colored  embroidery  ;  over  this  he  wore 
a  yellow  sleeveless  kaftan.  A  kind  of  cape  covered  his  breast 
and  shoulders.  On  his  head  was  a  smallish  cap,  growing 
narrow  toward  the  top. 

4 'Thou  art  here!  thou  art  here!  "  exclaimed  Sarah;  and  she 
kissed  his  head  again. 

"I  am  astonished  myself  at  being  here,"  said  Gideon,  sadly. 
"I  stole  to  the  garden  like  a  criminal;  I  thought,  along  the 
whole  way  from  Memphis,  that  all  the  Egyptians  were  pointing 
me  out  with  their  fingers  and  that  each  Jew  was  spitting." 

"  But  thou  didst  give  me  thyself  to  the  prince,  father." 

"  I  did,  for  what  could  I  do?  Of  course  it  only  seems  to  me 
that  they  point  and  spit.  Of  Egyptians,  whoever  knows  me 
bows  the  lower  the  higher  he  is  himself.  Since  thou  art  here 
our  lord  Sesofris  has  said  that  he  must  enlarge  my  house  ; 
Chaires  gave  me  a  jar  of  the  best  wine,  and  our  most  worthy 
nomarch  himself  has  sent  a  trusty  servant  to  ask  if  thou  art 
well,  and  if  I  will  not  become  his  manager." 

"  But  the  Jews?"  inquired  Sarah. 

"  What  of  the  Jews  !  They  know  that  I  did  not  yield  of  my 
own  will.  Every  one  of  them  would  wish  to  be  constrained  in 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  65 

like  manner.  Let  the  Lord  God  judge  us  all.  Better  tell  how 
thou  art  feeling." 

"  In  Abraham's  bosom  she  will  not  have  more  comfort," 
said  Tafet.  "  Every  day  they  bring  us  fruit,  wine,  bread, 
meat,  and  whatever  the  soul  wishes.  And  such  baths  as  we 
have,  all  bronze,  and  such  kitchen  utensils  I  " 

"  Three  days  ago,"  interrupted  Sarah,  "  the  Phoenician  Dagou 
was  here.  I  did  not  wish  to  see  him,  but  he  insisted." 

"  He  gave  me  a  gold  ring,"  added  Tafet. 

"He  told  me,"  continued  Sarah,  "that  he  was  a  tenant  of 
my  lord ;  he  gave  me  two  anklets,  pearl  earrings,  and  a  box  of 
perfumes  from  the  land  of  Punt." 

"  Why  did  he  give  them  to  thee?  "  asked  her  father. 

44  For  nothing.  He  simply  begged  that  I  would  think  well  of 
him,  and  tell  my  lord  sometimes  that  Dagon  was  his  most 
faithful  servant." 

"Very  soon  thou  wilt  have  a  whole  box  of  earrings  and 
bracelets,"  said  Gideon,  smiling.  But  after  a  moment  he  added : 
u  Gather  up  a  great  property  quickly  and  let  us  flee  back  to  our 
own  land,  for  here  there  is  misery  at  all  times,  misery  when  we 
are  in  trouble,  and  still  more  of  it  when  we  are  prosperous." 

"  And  what  would  my  lord  say?"  asked  Sarah,  with  sadness. 

Her  father  shook  his  head. 

"Before  a  year  passes  thy  lord  will  cast  thee  aside,  and  others 
will  help  him.  Wert  thou  an  Egyptian,  he  would  take  thee  to 
his  palace ;  but  a  Jewess  — 

"  He  will  cast  aside?  "  said  Sarah,  sighing. 

"  Why  torment  one's  self  with  days  to  come,  which  are  in  the 
hand  of  God  ?  I  am  here  to  pass  the  Sabbath  witli  thee." 

"  I  have  splendid  fish,  meat,  cakes,  and  wine  of  the  Jews," 
put  in  Tafet,  quickly.  "  I  have  bought  also,  in  Memphis,  a 
seven-branched  candlestick  and  wax  tapers.  We  shall  have  a 
better  supper  than  has  Lord  Chaires." 

Gideon  went  out  on  the  flat  roof  with  his  daughter. 

"Tafet  tells  me,"  said  he,  when  they  were  alone,  "that  thou 
art  always  in  the  house.  Why  is  this?  Thou  shouldst  look  at 
least  on  the  garden." 

"I  am  afraid,"  whispered  Sarah. 

"  Why  be  afraid  of  thy  own  garden  ?  Here  thou  art  mistress, 
a  great  lady." 


6G  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Once  I  went  out  in  the  daytime.  People  of  some  sort 
stared  at  me,  and  said  to  one  another,  '  Look  !  that  is  the  heir's 
Jewess ;  she  delays  the  overflow.'  " 

"They  are  fools!"  interrupted  Gideon.  "Is  this  the  first 
time  that  the  Nile  is  late  in  its  overflow  ?  But  go  out  in  the 
evening." 

Sarah  shook  her  head  with  greater  vigor. 

t;  I  do  not  wish,  I  do  not  wish.  Another  time  I  went  out  in 
the  evening.  All  at  once  two  women  pushed  out  from  a  side 
path.  I  was  frightened  and  wished  to  flee,  when  one  of  them, 
the  younger  and  smaller,  seized  my  hands,  saying,  '  Do  not 
flee,  we  must  look  at  thee  ;  '  the  second,  the  elder  and  taller, 
stood  some  steps  in  front  and  looked  me  in  the  eyes  directly. 
Ah,  father,  I  thought  that  I  should  turn  into  stone.  What  a 
look,  what  a  woman  !  " 

"  Who  could  she  be?"  asked  Gideon. 

"  The  elder  woman  looked  like  a  priestess." 

"  And  did  she  say  anything?" 

"Nothing.  But  when  going  and  they  were  hidden  behind 
trees,  I  heard  surely  the  voice  of  the  elder  say  these  words : 
i  Indeed  she  is  beautiful !  ' ' 

Gideon  fell  to  thinking. 

"  Maybe  they  were  great  ladies  from  the  court." 

The  sun  went  down,  and  on  both  banks  of  the  Nile  dense 
crowds  of  people  collected  waiting  impatiently  for  the  signal  of 
the  overflow,  which  in  fact  was  belated.  For  two  days  the  wind 
had  been  blowing  from  the  sea  and  the  river  was  green  ;  the 
sun  had  passed  the  star  Sothis  already,  but  in  the  well  of  the 
priest  in  Memphis  the  water  had  not  risen  even  the  breadth  of  a 
finger.  The  people  were  alarmed,  all  the  more  since  in  Upper 
Egypt,  according  to  signals,  the  overflow  proceeded  with  regu 
lar  increase  and  even  promised  to  be  perfect. 

"What  detains  it  at  Memphis  then?"  asked  the  anxious 
earth-tillers  waiting  for  the  signal  in  disquiet. 

When  the  stars  had  appeared  in  the  sky,  Tafet  spread  a 
white  cloth  on  the  table,  placed  on  it  the  candlestick  with  seven 
lighted  torches,  pushed  up  three  armchairs,  and  announced  that 
the  Sabbath  supper  would  be  served  immediately. 

Gideon  covered  his  head  then,  and  raising  both  hands  above 
the  table,  said  with  his  eyes  looking  heavenward,  — 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  67 

"  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  Thou  who  didst  lead  our 
people  out  of  Egypt,  who  didst  give  a  country  to  the  slave  and 
exile,  who  didst  make  with  the  sons  of  Judah  an  eternal  cove 
nant,  O  Jehovah,  O  Adonai,  permit  us  to  enjoy  without  sin 
the  fruits  of  the  enemies'  country.  Bring  us  out  of  sorrow  and 
fear  in  which  we  are  buried,  and  restore  us  to  the  banks  of  the 
Jordan,  which  we  left  for  Thy  glory." 

At  the  moment  a  voice  was  heard  from  beyond  the 
wall,— 

''His  worthiness  Tutmosis,  the  most  faithful  servant  of  his 
holiness  and  of  his  son  Prince  Rameses !  " 

"  May  he  live  through  eternity !  "  called  a  number  of  voices 
from  the  garden. 

"  His  worthiness,"  said  a  single  voice  again,  "  sends  greeting 
to  the  most  beautiful  rose  of  Lebanon." 

When  the  voice  ceased,  the  sound  of  harps  and  flutes  was 
heard. 

"  That  is  music!"  exclaimed  Tafet,  chipping  her  hands. 
"  We  shall  pass  the  Sabbath  with  music." 

Sarah  and  her  father,  frightened  at  first,  began  to  laugh,  and 
sat  down  again  at  the  table. 

"  Let  them  play,"  said  Gideon;  "their  music  is  not  bad  for 
the  appetite." 

The  flute  and  harp  played,  then  a  tenor  voice  sang,  — 

"Thou  art  more  beautiful  than  all  the  maidens  who  look  at 
themselves  in  the  Nile.  Thy  hair  is  blacker  than  the  feathers 
of  a  raven,  thy  eyes  have  a  milder  glance  than  the  eyes  of  a 
deer  which  is  yearning  for  its  fawn.  Thy  stature  is  the  stature 
of  a  palm,  and  the  lotus  envies  thee  thy  charm.  Thy  bosoms 
are  like  grape  clusters  with  the  juice  of  which  kings  delight 
themselves." 

Again  the  flute  and  harp  were  heard,  and  next  a  song,  — 

"  Come  and  repose  in  the  garden.  The  servants  which  belong 
to  thee  will  bring  various  vessels  and  beer  of  all  kinds.  Come, 
let  us  celebrate  this  night  and  the  dawn  which  will  follow  it. 
In  my  shadow,  in  the  shadow  of  the  fig,  giving  sweet  fruit,  thy 
lover  will  rest  at  thy  right  hand  ;  and  thou  wilt  give  him  to 
drink  and  consent  to  all  his  wishes  — " 


68  THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST 

Next  came  the  flutes  and  harps,  and  after  them  a  new 
song,  — 

"  I  am  of  a  silent  disposition,  I  never  tell  what  I  see,  I  spoil 
not  the  sweetness  of  my  fruits  with  vain  tattling."  1 


CHAPTER   X 

THE  song  ceased,  drowned  by  an  uproar  and  by  a  noise 
as  of  many  people  running. 

"  Unbelievers  !  Enemies  of  Egypt!  "  cried  some  one.  "  Ye 
are  singing  when  we  are  sunk  in  suffering,  and  ye  are 
praising  the  Jewess  who  stops  the  flow  of  the  Nile  with  her 
witchcraft." 

"  Woe  to  you  !  "  cried  another.  "  Ye  are  trampling  the  land 
of  Prince  Rarneses.  Death  will  fall  on  you  and  your  children." 

"  We  will  go,  but  let  the  Jewess  come  out  so  that  we  may 
tell  our  wrongs  to  her." 

"  Let  us  flee !  "  screamed  Tafet. 

"  Whither?"  inquired  Gideon. 

"  Never !  "  said  Sarah,  on  whose  mild  face  appeared  a  flush 
of  anger.  "  Do  I  not  belong  to  the  heir,  before  whose  face 
those  people  all  prostrate  themselves  ?  " 

And  before  her  father  and  the  old  woman  had  regained  their 
senses,  she,  all  in  white,  had  run  out  on  the  roof  and  called  to 
the  throng  beyond  the  wall,  — 

"  Here  I  am  !     What  do  ye  want  of  me?  " 

The  uproar  was  stilled  for  a  moment,  but  again  threatening 
voices  were  raised,  — 

"  Be  accursed,  thou  strange  woman  whose  sin  stops  the  Nile 
in  its  overflow  !  " 

A  number  of  stones  hurled  at  random  whistled  through  the 
air;  one  of  them  struck  Sarah's  forehead. 

"  Father!  "  cried  she,  seizing  her  head. 

Gideon  caught  her  in  his  arms  and  bore  her  from  the  terrace. 
In  the  night  were  visible  people,  in  white  caps  and  skirts,  who 
climbed  over  the  wall  below. 

Tafet  screamed  in  a  heaven-piercing  voice,  the  black  slave 
i  Authentic. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  69 

seized  an  axe,  took  his  place  in  the  doorway,  and  declared  that 
he  would  split  the  head  of  any  man  daring  to  enter. 

"  Stone  that  Nubian  dog !  "  cried  men  from  the  wall  to  the 
crowd  of  people. 

But  the  people  became  silent  all  at  once,  for  from  the  depth 
of  the  garden  came  a  man  with  shaven  head ;  from  this  man's 
shoulders  depended  a  panther  skin. 

il  A  prophet !  A  holy  father  !  "  murmured  some  in  the  crowd. 
Those  sitting  on  the  wall  began  now  to  spring  down  from  it. 

"  People  of  Egypt,*'  said  the  priest,  calmly,  u  with  what 
right  do  ye  raise  hands  on  the  property  of  the  erpatr?  " 

44  The  unclean  Jewess  dwells  here,  who  stops  the  rise  of  the 
Nile.  Woe  to  us  !  misery  and  famine  are  hanging  over  Lower 
Egypt." 

"  People  of  weak  mind  or  of  evil  faith,"  said  the  priest, 
"  where  have  ye  heard  that  one  woman  could  stop  the  will  of 
the  gods?  Every  year  in  the  month  Thoth  the  Nile  begins  to 
increase  and  rises  till  the  mouth  Choeak.  Has  it  ever  hap 
pened  otherwise,  though  our  land  has  been  full  at  all  times  of 
strangers,  sometimes  foreign  priests  and  princes,  who  groaning 
in  captivity  and  grievous  labor  might  utter  the  most  dreadful 
curses  through  sorrow  and  anger?  They  would  have  brought 
on  our  heads  all  kinds  of  misfortune,  and  more  than  one  of 
them  would  have  given  their  lives  if  only  the  sun  would  not 
rise  over  Egypt  in  the  morning,  or  if  the  Nile  would  not 
rise  when  the  year  began.  And  what  came  of  their  prayers? 
Either  they  were  not  heard  in  the  heavens,  or  foreign  gods 
had  no  power  in  presence  of  the  gods  of  Egypt.  How  then  is 
a  woman  who  lives  pleasantly  among  us  to  cause  a  misfortune 
which  is  beyond  the  power  of  our  mightiest  enemies?" 

"The  holy  father  speaks  truth.  Wise  are  the  words  of  the 
prophet !  "  said  people  among  the  multitude. 

"  But  Messu  (Moses),  the  Jewish  leader,  brought  darkness 
and  death  into  Egypt !  "  said  one  voice. 

"  Let  the  man  who  said  that  step  forth,"  cried  the  priest.  **  I 
challenge  him,  let  him  come  forward,  unless  he  is  an  enemy  of 
the  Egyptian  people." 

The  crowd  murmured  like  a  wind  from  afar  blowing  between 
trees,  but  no  man  came  forward. 


70  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  I  speak  truth,"  continued  the  priest ;  "  evil  men  are  moving 
among  you  like  hyenas  in  a  sheepfold.  They  have  no  pity  on 
your  misery,  they  urged  you  to  destroy  the  house  of  the  heir 
and  to  rebel  against  the  pharaoh.  If  their  vile  plan  had  suc 
ceeded  and  blood  had  begun  to  flow  from  your  bosoms,  they 
would  have  hidden  before  spears  as  they  hide  now  before  my 
challenge." 

"Listen  to  the  prophet!  Praise  to  thee,  man  of  God!" 
cried  the  people,  inclining  their  foreheads. 

The  most  pious  fell  to  the  earth. 

"  Hear  me,  Egyptian  people.  In  return  for  your  faith  in  the 
words  of  a  priest,  for  your  obedience  to  the  pharaoh  and  the 
heir,  for  the  honor  which  ye  give  to  a  servant  of  the  god,  a 
favor  will  be  shown  you.  Go  to  your  houses  in  peace,  and 
even  before  ye  have  left  this  hill  the  Nile  will  be  rising." 

"  Oh,  may  it  rise!  " 

"Go!  The  greater  your  faith  and  piety  the  more  quickly 
will  ye  see  the  sign  of  favor." 

"  Let  us  go!  Let  us  go!  Be  blessed,  O  prophet,  thou  son 
of  prophets !  " 

They  began  to  separate,  kissing  the  robe  of  the  priest.  With 
that  some  one  shouted,  — 

"  The  miracle,  the  miracle  is  accomplished." 

On  the  tower  in  Memphis  a  light  flamed  up. 

"  The  Nile  is  rising!  See,  more  and  more  lights!  Indeed  a 
mighty  saint  spoke  to  us.  May  he  live  through  eternity !  " 

They  turned  toward  the  priest,  but  he  had  vanished  among 
shadows. 

The  throng  raging  a  little  while  earlier,  amazed  and  filled 
now  with  gratitude,  forgot  both  its  anger  and  the  wonder-work 
ing  priest.  It  was  mastered  by  a  wild  delight ;  men  rushed  to 
the  bank  of  the  river,  on  which  many  lights  were  burning  and 
where  a  great  hymn  was  rising  from  the  assembled  people,  — 

"Be  greeted,  O  Nile,  sacred  river,  which  appearest  on  this 
country !  Thou  comest  in  peace,  to  give  life  to  Egypt.  O 
hidden  deity  who  scatterest  darkness,  who  moistenest  the  fields, 
to  bring  food  to  dumb  animals,  O  thou  the  precious  one,  de 
scending  from  heaven  to  give  drink  to  the  earth,  O  friend  of 
bread,  thou  who  gladdenest  our  cottages  !  Thou  art  the  master 


THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST  71 

of  fishes ;  when  thou  art  in  our  fields  no  bird  dares  touch  the 
harvest.  Thou  art  the  creator  of  grain  and  the  parent  of 
barley  ;  thou  givest  rest  to  the  hands  of  millions  of  the  un 
fortunate  and  for  ages  thou  securest  the  sanctuary."  1 

At  this  time  the  illuminated  boat  of  Rameses  sailed  from  the 
shore  opposite  amid  songs  and  outcries.  Those  very  persons 
who  half  an  hour  earlier  wished  to  burst  into  his  villa  were  fall 
ing  now  on  their  faces  before  him,  or  hurling  themselves  into 
the  water  to  kiss  the  oars  and  the  sides  of  the  boat  which  was 
bearing  the  son  of  their  ruler. 

Gladsome,  surrounded  by  torches,  Rameses,  in  company  with 
Tutmosis,  approached  Sarah's  dwelling.  At  sight  of  him 
Gideon  said  to  Tafet,  — 

"  Great  is  my  alarm  for  my  daughter,  but  still  greater  my 
wish  to  avoid  Prince  Rameses." 

He  sprang  over  the  wall,  and  amid  darkness  through  gardens 
and  fields  he  held  on  in  the  direction  of  Memphis. 

"Be  greeted.  0  beauteous  Sarah!"  cried  Tutmosis  in  the 
courtyard.  "  I  hope  that  thou  wilt  receive  us  well  for  the  music 
which  I  sent  to  thee." 

Sarah  appeared,  with  bandaged  head  on  the  threshold,  lean 
ing  on  the  black  slave  and  her  female  attendant. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  cried  the  astonished 
Rameses. 

"Terrible  things!"  called  out  Tafet.  "Unbelievers  at 
tacked  thy  house;  one  hurled  a  stone  and  struck  Sarah." 

u  What  unbelievers?" 

"  But  those  —  the  Egyptians!  "  explained  Tafet. 

The  prince  cast  a  contemptuous  glance  at  her,  but  rage 
mastered  him  straightway. 

"  Who  struck  Sarah?  Who  threw  the  stone?"  shouted  he, 
seizing  the  arm  of  the  black  man. 

"Those  from  beyond  the  river,"  answered  the  slave. 

"Hei,  watchman!  "  cried  the  prince,  foaming  at  the  mouth, 
14  arm  all  the  men  in  this  place  for  me  and  follow  that  rabble  !  '' 

The  black  slave  seized  his  axe  again,  the  overseers  fell  to 
summoning  workmen  from  the  buildings,  some  soldiers  of  the 
prince's  suite  grasped  their  sword-hilts  mechanically. 

1  Authentic. 


72  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

4 'By  the  mercy  of  Jehovah,  what  art  thou  doing?"  whispered 
Sarah,  as  she  hung  on  the  neck  of  Rameses. 

"I  wish  to  avenge  thee,"  answered  he;  "whoso  strikes  at 
that  which  is  mine  strikes  at  me." 

Tutmosis  grew  pale,  and  shook  his  head. 

"Hear  me,  lord,"  said  he;  "  wilt  thou  discover  in  the  night 
and  in  a  multitude  the  men  who  committed  the  crime  ?  " 

"  All  one  to  me.  The  rabble  did  it,  and  the  rabble  must 
give  answer." 

"No  judge  will  say  that,"  reflected  Tutmosis.  u  But  thou 
art  to  be  the  highest  judge." 

The  prince  became  thoughtful.     Tutmosis  continued,  — 

"Stop!  what  would  the  pharaoh  our  lord  say  to-morrow  ? 
And  what  delight  would  reign  among  our  foes  in  the  east  and 
the  west,  if  they  heard  that  the  heir  to  the  throne,  almost 
at  the  royal  palace,  was  attacked  in  the  night  by  his  own 
people  ?  " 

"Oh,  if  my  father  would  give  me  even  half  the  army,  our 
enemies  on  all  sides  of  the  world  would  be  silent  forever !  " 
said  the  prince,  stamping  on  the  pavement. 

"Finally,  remember  that  man  who  hanged  himself;  thou 
wert  sorry  when  an  innocent  man  lost  his  life.  But  to-day 
is  it  possible  that  thou  art  willing  thyself  to  slay  innocent 
people?" 

"Enough!"  interrupted  Rameses,  in  a  deep  voice.  "My 
anger  is  like  a  water-jar.  Woe  to  him  on  whom  it  falls !  Let 
us  enter." 

The  frightened  Tutmosis  drew  back.  The  prince  took  Sarah 
by  the  hand  and  went  to  the  terrace.  He  seated  her  near  the 
table  on  which  was  the  unfinished  supper,  and  approaching  the 
light  drew  the  bandage  from  her  forehead. 

"Ah!"  cried  he,  "this  is  not  even  a  wound,  it  is  only  a 
blue  spot." 

He  looked  at  Sarah  attentively. 

"  I  never  thought,"  said  he,  "  that  thou  wouldst  have  a  blue 
spot.  This  changed  thy  face  considerably." 

"Then  I  please  thee  no  longer?"  whispered  Sarah,  raising 
on  him  great  eyes  full  of  fear. 

"Oh,  no!  this  will  pass  quickly." 


THE    PHARAOH   AND  THE    PRIEST  73 

Then  he  called  Tutmosis  and  the  black,  and  commanded  to 
tell  him  what  had  happened  that  evening. 

"  He  defended  us,"  said  Sarah.  "He  stood,  with  an  axe,  in 
the  doorway." 

"  Didst  thou  do  that?"  asked  the  prince,  looking  quickly 
into  the  eyes  of  the  Nubian. 

"  Was  I  to  let  strange  people  break  into  thy  house,  lord  ?  " 

Rameses  patted  him  on  the  curly  head. 

"Thou  hast  acted,"  said  he,  "like  a  brave  man.  I  give 
thee  freedom.  To-morrow  thou  wilt  receive  a  reward  and 
mayst  return  to  thy  own  people." 

The  black  tottered  and  rubbed  his  eyes,  the  whites  of  which 
were  shining.  Suddenly  he  dropped  on  his  knees,  and  cried  as 
he  struck  the  floor  with  his  forehead,  — 

"  Do  not  put  me  away,  lord." 

"  Well,"  replied  Rameses,  "  remain  with  me,  but  as  a  free 
warrior.  I  need  just  such  men,"  said  he,  turning  to  Tutmosis. 
"He  cannot  talk  like  the  overseer  of  the  house  of  books,  but 
he  is  ready  for  battle." 

And  again  he  inquired  for  details  of  the  attack,  when  the 
Nubian  told  how  a  priest  had  approached,  and  when  he  related 
his  miracles  the  prince  seized  his  own  head,  exclaiming,  — 

"I  am  the  most  hapless  man  in  all  Egypt!  Very  soon  I 
shall  find  a  priest  in  my  bed  even.  Whence  did  he  come  ?  Who 
was  he?" 

The  black  servitor  could  not  explain  this,  but  he  said  that 
the  priest's  action  toward  the  prince  and  toward  Sarah  was 
very  friendly ;  that  the  attack  was  directed  not  by  Egyptians, 
but  by  people  who,  the  priest  said,  were  enemies  of  Egypt, 
and  whom  he  challenged  to  step  forward,  but  they  would 
not. 

"  Wonders  !  wonders  !  "  said  Rameses,  meditating,  and  throw 
ing  himself  on  a  couch.  "  My  black  slave  is  a  valiant  warrior 
and  a  man  full  of  judgment.  A  priest  defends  a  Jewess,  be 
cause  she  is  mine.  What  a  strange  priest  he  is !  The  Egyptian 
people  who  kneel  down  before  the  pharaoh's  dogs  attack  the 
house  of  the  erpatr  under  direction  of  unknown  enemies  of 
Egypt.  I  myself  must  look  into  this." 


74  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 


CHAPTER  XI 

rp*HE  month  Thoth  has  ended  and  the  month  Paofi  (the  sec- 
-•-  ond  half  of  July)  has  begun.  The  water  of  the  Nile, 
from  being  greenish  and  then  white,  has  become  ruddy  and  is 
rising  continually.  The  royal  indicator  in  Memphis  is  filled  to 
the  height  of  two  men  almost,  and  the  Nile  rises  two  hands 
daily.  The  lowest  land  is  inundated  ;  from  higher  ground  people 
are  removing  hastily  flax,  grapes,  and  cotton  of  a  certain  species. 
Over  places  which  were  dry  in  the  early  morning,  waves  plash 
as  evening  approaches.  A  mighty,  unseen  whirlwind  seems  to 
blow  in  the  depth  of  the  Nile.  This  wind  ploughs  up  broad 
spaces  on  the  river,  fills  the  furrows  with  foam,  then  smooths 
for  a  moment  the  surface,  and  after  a  time  twists  it  into  deep 
eddies.  Again  the  hidden  wind  ploughs,  again  it  smooths  out, 
whirls,  pushes  forward  new  hills  of  water,  new  rows  of  foam, 
and  raises  the  rustling  river,  wins  without  ceasing  new  plat 
forms  of  land.  Sometimes  the  water,  after  reaching  a  certain 
boundary,  leaps  across  in  a  twinkle,  pours  into  a  low  place, 
and  makes  a  shining  pond  where  a  moment  earlier  withered 
grass  was  breaking  up  into  dust  heaps. 

Though  the  rise  of  the  river  has  reached  barely  one  third 
of  its  height,  the  whole  region  near  the  banks  is  under  water. 
Every  hour  some  little  height  takes  on  the  semblance  of  an 
island,  divided  from  others  by  a  narrow  channel,  which  widens 
gradually  and  cuts  off  the  house  more  and  more  from  its  neigh 
bors.  Very  often  he  who  walked  out  to  work  comes  home  in  a 
boat  from  his  labor. 

Boats  and  rafts  appear  more  and  more  frequently  on  the  river. 
From  some  of  them  men  are  catching  fish  in  nets ;  on  others 
they  bring  the  harvest  to  granaries,  or  bellowing  cattle  to  their 
stables.  With  other  boats  visits  are  made  to  acquaintances 
to  inform  them  amid  shouts  and  laughter  that  the  river  is  rising. 
Sometimes  boats  gather  in  one  place,  like  a  flock  of  daws,  ami 
then  shoot  apart  on  all  sides  before  a  broad  raft  bearing  down 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  75 

from   Upper   Egypt   immense   blocks   of   stone   hewn   out   in 
quarries  near  the  river. 

In  the  air,  as  far  as  the  ear  can  hear,  extend  the  roar  of  the 
rising  water,  the  cries  of  frightened  birds,  and  the  gladsome 
songs  of  people.  The  Nile  is  rising,  there  will  be  bread  in 
abundance. 

During  a  whole  month  investigation  continued  in  the  affair  of 
the  attack  on  the  house  of  Rameses.  Each  morning  a  boat 
with  officials  and  warriors  came  to  some  small  estate.  People 
were  snatched  from  their  labor,  overwhelmed  with  treacherous 
questions,  beaten  with  sticks.  Toward  evening  two  boats 
returned  to  Memphis  :  one  brought  officials,  the  other  brought 
prisoners. 

In  this  way  some  hundreds  of  men  were  caught,  of  whom 
one  half  knew  nothing,  the  other  half  were  threatened  by  im 
prisonment  or  toil  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  quarries.  But 
nothing  was  learned  of  those  who  led  the  attack,  or  of  that 
priest  who  had  persuaded  the  people  to  leave  the  place. 
Prince  Rameses  had  qualities  which  were  uncommonly  contra 
dictory.  He  was  as  impetuous  as  a  lion  and  as  stubborn  as  a 
bullock,  but  he  had  a  keen  understanding  and  a  deep  sense  of 
justice. 

Seeing  that  this  investigation  by  officials  gave  no  result 
whatever,  he  sailed  on  a  certain  day  to  Memphis  and  com 
manded  to  open  the  prison. 

The  prison  was  built  on  an  eminence  surrounded  by  a  lofty 
wall,  anji  was  composed  of  a  great  number  of  stone,  brick,  and 
wooden  buildings.  These  buildings  for  the  main  part  were 
merely  the  dwellings  of  overseers.  Prisoners  were  placed  in 
subterranean  dens  hewn  out  in  a  cliff  of  limestone. 

When  Prince  Rameses  passed  the  gate,  he  saw  a  crowd  of 
women  washing  and  feeding  some  prisoner.  This  naked  man, 
who  resembled  a  skeleton,  was  sitting  on  the  ground,  having 
his  hands  and  feet  in  four  openings  of  a  square  plank  which 
took  the  place  of  fetters. 

"  Has  this  man  suffered  long  in  this  way?  "  asked  Rameses. 

u  Two  months,"  said  the  overseer. 

"  And  must  he  sit  here  much  longer?" 

"  A  month." 


76  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

44  What  did  he  do?" 

"  He  was  insolent  to  a  tax  gatherer." 

The  prince  turned  and  saw  another  crowd,  composed  of 
women  and  children.  Among  them  was  an  old  man. 

44  Are  these  prisoners?" 

"  No,  most  worthy  lord.  That  is  a  family  waiting  for  the 
body  of  a  criminal  who  is  to  be  strangled  —  oh,  they  are  taking 
him  already  to  the  chamber,"  said  the  overseer. 

Then,  turning  to  the  crowd,  he  said,  — 

44  Be  patient  a  short  time,  dear  people.  Ye  will  get  the  body 
soon." 

44  We  thank  thee  greatly,  worthy  lord,"  answered  an  old 
man,  doubtless  the  father  of  the  delinquent.  "  We  left  home 
yesterday  evening,  our  flax  is  in  the  field,  and  the  river  is 
rising." 

The  prince  grew  pale,  and  halted. 

44  Dost  thou  know,"  asked  he  of  the  overseer,  "  that  I  have 
the  right  of  pardon  ?  " 

44  Erpatr,  thou  hast  that  right,"  answered  the  overseer,  bow 
ing  ;  and  then  he  added  :  44  The  law  declares,  O  child  of  the  sun, 
that  in  memory  of  thy  presence  men  condemned  for  offences 
against  the  state  and  religion,  but  who  conduct  themselves 
properly,  should  receive  some  abatement.  A  list  of  such  per 
sons  will  be  placed  at  thy  feet  within  a  month.  " 

44  But  he  who  is  to  be  strangled  this  moment,  has  he  not  the 
right  to  my  grace  ?  " 

The  overseer  opened  his  arms,  and  bent  forward  in  silence. 

They  moved  from  place  to  place,  and  passed  a  number  of 
courts.  In  wooden  cases  on  the  bare  ground  were  crowded 
men  sentenced  to  imprisonment.  In  one  building  were  heard 
awful  screams  ;  they  were  clubbing  prisoners  to  force  con 
fession. 

" 1  wish  to  see  those  accused  of  attacking  my  house,"  said 
the  heir,  deeply  moved. 

44  Of  those  there  are  more  than  three  hundred,"  said  the 
overseer. 

44  Select  according  to  thy  own  judgment  the  most  guilty,  and 
question  them  in  my  presence.  I  do  not  wish,  though,  to  be 
known  to  them." 


THE    PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST  77 

They  opened  to  Rameses  a  chamber  in  which  the  investigating 
official  was  occupied.  The  prince  commanded  him  to  take  his 
usual  place,  but  sat  himself  behind  a  pillar. 

The  accused  appeared  one  by  one.  All  were  lean ;  much 
hair  had  grown  out  on  them,  and  their  eyes  had  the  expression 
of  settled  bewilderment. 

"  Dutmoses,"  said  the  official,  "  tell  how  ye  attacked  the  house 
of  the  most  worthy  erpatr." 

"  I  will  tell  truth,  as  at  the  judgment  seai  of  Osiris.  It  was 
the  evening  of  that  day  when  the  Nile  was  to  begin  rising.  My 
wife  said  to  me,  '  Come,  father,  let  us  go  up  on  the  hills, 
where  we  can  have  an  earlier  sight  of  the  signal  in  Memphis.' 
Then  we  went  up  where  we  could  see  the  signal  in  Memphis 
more  easily.  Some  warrior  came  to  my  wife  and  said,  *  Come 
with  me  into  that  garden.  We  will  find  grapes  there,  and  some 
thing  else  also.'  Then  my  wife  went  into  the  garden  with  that 
warrior.  I  fell  into  great  rage,  and  I  looked  at  them  through 
the  wall.  But  whether  stones  were  thrown  at  the  prince's  house 
or  not  I  cannot  tell,  for  because  of  the  trees  and  darkness  I 
could  not  see  anything." 

"But  how  couldst  thou  let  thy  wife  go  with  a  warrior?'* 
asked  the  official. 

u  With  permission,  worthiness,  what  was  I  to  do?  I  am 
only  an  earth-worker,  and  he  is  a  warrior  and  soldier  of  his 
holiness." 

u  But  didst  thou  see  the  priest  who  spoke  to  you?  " 

"  That  was  not  a  priest,"  said  the  man,  with  conviction. 
"  That  must  have  been  the  god  Num  himself,  for  he  came  out 
of  a  fig-tree  and  he  had  a  ram's  head  on  him." 

"  But  didst  thou  see  that  he  had  a  ram's  head?  " 

"  With  permission  I  do  not  remember  well  whether  I  saw 
myself  or  whether  people  told  me.  My  eyes  were  affected  by 
anxiety  for  my  wife." 

"  Didst  thou  throw  stones  at  the  garden?  " 

"  Why  should  I  throw  stones,  lord  of  life  and  death?  If  I 
had  hit  my  wife,  I  should  have  made  trouble  for  a  week.  If  I 
had  hit  the  warrior,  I  should  have  got  a  blow  of  a  fist  in  the 
belly  that  would  have  made  my  tongue  stick  out,  for  I  am 
nothing  but  an  earth-worker,  and  he  is  a  warrior  of  our  lord 
who  lives  through  eternity." 


78  THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST 

The  heir  leaned  out  from  behind  the  column.     They  led  away 
Dutmoses,  and  brought  in  Anup.     He  was  a  short  fellow. 
his  shoulders  were  scars  from  club-strokes. 

"Tell  me,  Anup,"  began  the  official  again,  "how  was  it 
about  that  attack  on  the  garden  of  the  heir  to  the  throne  ? " 

"Eye  of  the  sun,"  said  the  man,  "vessel  of  wisdom,  thou 
knowest  best  of  all  that  I  did  not  make  the  attack,  only  a 
neighbor  comes  to  me  and  says  he,  '  Anup,  come  up,  for  the  Nile 
is  rising.'  And  I  say  to  him,  '  Is  it  rising?'  And  he  says  to 
me,  '  Thou  art  duller  than  an  ass,  for  an  ass  would  hear  music 
on  a  hill,  and  thou  dost  not  hear  it.'  '  But,'  says  I,  '  I  am  dull,  for 
I  did  not  learn  writing ;  but  with  permission  music  is  one  thing 
and  the  rise  of  the  river  is  another.'  i  If  there  were  not  a  rise,' 
says  he,  '  people  would  not  have  anything  to  be  glad  about 
and  play  and  sing.'  So  I  say  to  thy  justice,  we  went  to  the 
hill,  and  they  had  driven  away  the  music  there  and  were  throw 
ing  stones  at  the  garden." 

"  Who  threw  stones?" 

"I  could  not  tell.  The  men  did  not  look  like  earth-workers, 
but  more  like  unclean  dissectors  who  open  dead  bodies  for 
embalming." 

"  And  didst  thou  see  the  priest? " 

u  With  thy  permission,  O  watchfulness,  that  was  not  a  priest, 
but  some  spirit  that  guards  the  house  of  the  erpatr  —  may  he 
live  through  eternity  !  " 

"Why  a  spirit?" 

"  For  at  moments  I  saw  him  and  at  moments  he  went  some 
where." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  behind  the  people?" 

"  Indeed  the  people  sometimes  were  in  front  of  him.  But  at 
one  time  he  was  higher  and  at  another  time  lower  —  " 

"  Maybe  he  went  up  on  the  hill  and  came  down  from  it?  " 

"He  must  have  gone  up  and  come  down,  but  maybe  he 
stretched  and  shortened  himself,  for  he  was  a  great  wonder 
worker.  Barely  had  he  said,  '  The  Nile  will  rise,'  and  that 
minute  the  Nile  began  to  rise." 

"  And  didst  thou  throw  stones,  Anup?  " 

"  How  should  I  dare  to  throw  stones  into  the  garden  of  the 
erpatr?  I  am  a  simple  fellow,  my  hand  would  wither  to  the 
elbow  for  such  sacrilege." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  79 

The  prince  gave  command  to  stop  the  examination,  and 
when  they  had  led  away  the  accused,  he  asked  the  official,  — 

"  Are  these  of  the  most  guilty?  " 

"  Thou  hast  said  it,  lord,"  answered  the  official. 

"In  that  case  all  must  be  liberated  to-day.  We  should  not 
imprison  people  because  they  wished  to  convince  themselves 
that  the  holy  Nile  was  rising  or  for  listening  to  music." 

44  The  highest  \visdom  is  speaking  through  thy  lips,  erpatr," 
said  the  official.  "I  was  commanded  to  find  the  most  guilty, 
hence  I  have  summoned  those  whom  I  have  found  so;  but  it  is 
not  in  my  power  to  return  them  liberty." 

"Why?" 

"Look,  most  worthy,  on  that  box.  It  is  full  of  papyruses 
on  which  are  written  the  details  of  the  case.  A  judge  in  Mem 
phis  receives  a  report  on  the  progress  of  the  case  daily,  and 
reports  to  his  holiness.  What  would  become  of  the  labor  of  so 
many  learned  scribes  and  great  men  if  the  accused  were  set 
free?" 

44  But  they  are  innocent!  "  cried  the  prince. 

' '  There  was  an  attack,  therefore  an  offence.  Where  there  is  an 
offence  there  must  be  offenders.  Whoever  has  fallen  once  into 
the  hands  of  power, 'and  is  described  in  acts,  cannot  get  free 
without  some  result.  In  an  inn  a  man  drinks  and  pays ;  at  a 
fair  he  sells  something  and  receives ;  in  a  field  he  sows  and 
harvests;  at  graves  he  receives  blessings  from  his  deceased 
ancestors.  How,  then,  could  any  one  after  he  has  come  to  a 
courtr  return  with  nothing,  like  a  traveller  stopping  half-way 
on  his  journey  and  turning  back  his  steps  homeward  without 
attaining  his  object?77 

"  Thou  speakest  wisely,"  answered  the  heir.  "  But  tell  me, 
has  not  his  holiness  the  right  to  free  these  people  ?  " 

The  official  crossed  his  arms  on  his  breast  and  bent  his 
head, — 

44  He  is  equal  to  the  gods,  he  can  do  what  he  wishes ;  liberate 
accused,  nay,  condemned  men,  and  destroy  even  the  documents 
of  a  case,  —  things  which  if  done  by  a  common  man  would  be 
sacrilege." 

The  prince  took  farewell  of  the  official,  and  said  to  the  over 
seer,  "  Give  the  accused  better  food  at  my  expense."  Then  he 


80  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

sailed,  greatly  irritated,  to  the  other  bank,  stretching  forth  his 
hands  toward  the  palace  continually,  as  if  begging  the  pharaoh 
to  destroy  the  case. 

But  that  day  his  holiness  had  many  religious  ceremonies  and 
a  counsel  with  the  ministers,  hence  the  heir  could  not  see  him. 
The  prince  went  immediately  to  the  grand  secretary,  who  next 
to  the  minister  of  war  had  most  significance  at  the  court  of  the 
pharaoh.  That  ancient  official,  a  priest  at  one  of  the  temples 
in  Memphis,  received  the  prince  politely  but  coldly,  and  when 
he  had  heard  him  he  answered,  — 

"It  is  a  marvel  to  me  that  them  wishest,  worthiness,  to  dis 
turb  our  lord  with  such  questions.  It  is  as  if  thou  wert  to 
beg  him  not  to  destroy  locusts  which  devour  what  is  on  the 
fields." 

"  But  they  are  innocent  people." 

kt  We,  worthy  lord,  cannot  know  that,  for  law  and  the  courts 
decide  as  to  guilt  and  innocence.  One  thing  is  clear  to  me, 
the  state  cannot  suffer  an  attack  on  any  one's  garden,  and 
especially  cannot  suffer  that  hands  should  be  raised  against 
property  of  the  erpatr." 

"  Thou  speakest  justly,  but  where  are  the  guilty?  "  answered 
Rameses. 

u  Where  there  are  no  guilty  there  must  at  least  be  men  who 
are  punished.  Not  the  guilt  of  a  man,  but  the  punishment 
which  follows  a  crime,  teaches  others  that  they  are  not  to  com 
mit  the  crime  in  question." 

u  I  see,"  interrupted  the  heir,  "  that  your  worthiness'  will 
not  support  my  prayer." 

"  Wisdom  flows  from  thy  lips,  erpatr,"  answered  the  priest. 
"  Never  shall  I  give  my  lord  a  counsel  which  would  expose  the 
dignity  of  power  to  a  blow." 

The  prince  returned  home  pained  and  astonished.  He  felt 
that  an  injury  had  been  done  to  some  hundreds  of  people,  and  he 
saw  that  he  could  not  save  them  any  more  than  he  could  rescue 
a  man  on  whom  an  obelisk  or  the  column  of  a  temple  had  fallen. 

"My  hands  are  too  weak  to  rear  this  edifice,"  thought  the 
prince,  with  anguish  of  spirit. 

For  the  first  time  he  felt  that  there  was  a  power  infinitely 
greater  than  his  will,  —  the  interest  of  the  state,  which  even  the 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  81 

all-powerful  pharaoh  acknowledges  and  before  which  he  the 
erpatr  must  bend  himself. 

Night  had  fallen.  Rameses  commanded  his  servants  to 
admit  no  one,  and  walked  in  loneliness  on  the  terrace  of  his 
villa,  thinking, — 

' '  A  wonderful  thing  !  Down  there  at  Pi-Bailos  the  invinci 
ble  regiments  of  Nitager  opened  before  me,  while  in  Memphis 
an  overseer  of  prisons,  an  investigating  official,  and  a  scribe  bar 
the  way  to  me.  What  are  they?  Mere  servants  of  my  father, 
—  may  he  live  through  eternity  !  —  who  can  cast  them  down  to 
the  rank  of  slaves  at  any  moment  and  send  them  to  the  quarries. 
But  why  should  not  my  father  pardon  the  innocent?  The 
state  does  not  wish  him  to  do  so.  And  what  is  the  state? 
Does  it  eat?  where  does  it  sleep?  where  are  its  hands  and  its 
sword,  of  which  all  are  in  terror?" 

He  looked  into  the  garden,  and  among  the  trees  on  the  sum 
mit  of  an  eminence  he  saw  two  immense  silhouettes  of  pylons, 
on  which  sentry  lights  were  burning.  The  thought  came  to  him 
that  that  watch  never  slept,  those  pylons  never  ate,  but  still 
they  existed.  Those  pylons  had  existed  for  ages,  mighty, 
like  Rameses  the  Great,  that  potentate  who  had  reared  them. 

Could  he  lift  those  edifices  and  hundreds  of  similar  grandeur ; 
could  he  escape  those  guards  and  thousands  of  others  who 
watch  over  the  safety  of  Egypt;  could  he  disobey  laws  estab 
lished  by  Rameses  the  Great  and  other  preceding  pharaohs  still 
greater,  laws  which  twenty  dynasties  had  consecrated  by  their 
reverence  ? 

In  the  soul  of  the  prince  for  the  first  time  in  life  a  certain  idea, 
dim  but  gigantic,  began  to  fix  itself  in  outline,  —  the  idea  of  the 
state.  The  state  is  something  more  magnificent  than  the  temple 
in  Thebes,  something  grander  than  the  pyramid  of  Cheops, 
something  more  ancient  than  the  subterranean  temple  of  the 
Sphinx,  something  more  enduring  than  granite  —  in  that  im 
mense  though  invisible  edifice  people  are  like  ants  in  some  cranny 
of  a  cliff,  and  the  pharaoh  a  mere  travelling  architect  who  is 
barely  able  to  lay  one  stone  in  the  wall  of  the  edifice  and  then 
go  on  farther.  But  the  walls  increase  from  generation  to  gen 
eration  and  the  edifice  continues. 

He,  the  son  of  the  pharaoh,  had  never  felt  yet  his  littleness 


82  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

as  in  that  moment,  when  his  glance  in  the  midst  of  the  night  was 
wandering  beyond  the  Nile  among  pylons  of  the  pharaoh's 
palace,  and  the  indefinite  but  imposing  outlines  of  the 
Memphis  temples. 

At  that  moment  from  among  the  trees  whose  branches 
touched  the  terrace,  he  heard  a  voice. 

"  I  know  thy  anxiety  and  I  bless  thee.  The  court  will  not 
free  the  prisoners.  But  the  case  will  drop,  and  they  may  return 
to  their  houses  if  the  overseer  of  thy  land  does  not  support  the 
complaint  of  attack." 

''Then  did  my  overseer  make  the  charge?"  asked  the  aston 
ished  prince. 

"  Thou  hast  spoken  truth.  He  made  the  charge  in  thy  name. 
But  if  he  does  not  go  to  the  court,  there  will  be  no  injured  person ; 
and  there  is  no  offence  if  there  is  no  injured  person." 

The  thicket  rustled. 

"  Stop  !  "  cried  Rameses;  "  who  art  thou?  " 

No  one  gave  answer.  But  it  seemed  to  the  prince  that  in  a 
streak  of  light  from  a  torch  burning  on  the  lower  floor  a  naked 
head  was  visible  for  an  instant,  and  also  a  panther  skin. 

"  A  priest,"  whispered  the  heir.  u  Why  does  he  hide  him 
self?" 

But  at  that  moment  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  priest  might 
answer  grievously  for  giving  counsel  which  stopped  the  dis 
pensation  of  justice. 


CHAPTER   XII 

RAMESES  passed  most  of  the  night  in  feverish  imaginings. 
Once  the  vision  of  the  state  appeared  to  him  as  an  im 
mense  labyrinth  with  strong  walls  through  which  no  one  could 
force  a  way,  then  again  he  saw  the  shadow  of  a  priest  who  with 
one  wise  opinion  had  indicated  to  him  the  method  of  escape 
from  that  labyrinth.  And  now  appeared  unexpectedly  before 
him  two  powers,  —  the  interest  of  the  state,  which  he  had  not 
felt  thus  far,  though  he  was  heir  to  the  throne  ;  and  the  priest 
hood,  which  he  wished  to  debase  and  then  make  his  servant. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  83 

That  was  a  burdensome  night.  The  prince  turned  on  his  bed 
repeatedly,  and  asked  himself  whether  he  had  not  been  blind, 
and  if  he  had  not  received  sight  that  day  for  the  first  time  in 
order  to  convince  himself  of  his  folly  and  nothingness.  How 
differently  during  those  night  hours  did  the  warnings  of  his 
mother  appear  to  him,  and  the  restraint  of  his  father  in 
enouncing  the  supreme  will,  and  even  the  stern  conduct  of 
the  minister,  Herhor. 

"The  state  and  the  priesthood!"  repeated  the  prince,  half 
asleep,  and  covered  with  cold  perspiration. 

The  heavenly  deities  alone  know  what  would  have  happened 
had  there  been  time  to  develop  and  ripen  those  thoughts  which 
were  circling  that  night  in  the  soul  of  Rameses.  Perhaps  if  he 
had  become  pharaoh  he  would  have  been  one  of  the  most  fortu 
nate  and  longest-lived  rulers.  Perhaps  his  name,  carved  in 
temples  above  ground  and  underground,  would  have  come  down 
to  posterity  surrounded  with  the  highest  glory.  Perhaps  he  and 
his  dynasty  would  not  have  lost  the  throne,  and  Egypt  would 
have  avoided  great  disturbance  and  the  bitterest  days  of  her 
history. 

But  the  serenity  of  morning  scattered  the  visions  which  cir 
cled  above  the  heated  head  of  the  heir,  and  the  succeeding  days 
changed  greatly  his  ideas  of  the  inflexible  interests  of  Egypt. 

The  visit  of  the  prince  to  the  prison  was  not  fruitless.  The 
investigating  official  made  a  report  to  the  supreme  judge  imme 
diately,  the  judge  looked  over  the  case  again,  examined  some 
of  the  accused  himself,  and  in  the  course  of  some  days  liber 
ated  the  greater  number ;  the  remainder  he  brought  to  trial  as 
quickly  as  possible. 

When  he  who  had  complained  of  the  damage  done  the  prince's 
property  did  not  appear,  though  summoned  in  the  hall  of  the 
court  and  on  the  market-place,  the  case  was  dropped,  and  the 
rest  of  the  accused  were  set  at  liberty. 

One  of  the  judges  remarked,  it  is  true,  that  according  to  law 
the  prince's  overseer  should  be  prosecuted  for  false  complaint, 
and,  in  case  of  conviction,  suffer  the  punishment  which 
threatened  the  defendants.  This  question  too  they  passed  over 
in  silence. 

The  overseer  disappeared  from  the  eyes  of  justice,  he  was 


84  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

sent  by  the  heir  to  the  province  of  Takens,  and  soon  the  whole 
box  of  documents  in  the  case  vanished  it  was  unknown  whither. 

On  hearing  this,  Prince  Rameses  went  to  the  grand  secretary 
and  asked  with  a  smile,  — 

"Well,  worthy  lord,  the  innocent  are  liberated,  the  documents 
concerning  them  have  been  destroyed  sacrilegiously,  and  still  the 
dignity  of  the  government  has  not  been  exposed  to  danger." 

"My  prince,"  answered  the  grand  secretary,  with  his  usual 
coolness,  "  I  did  not  understand  that  thou  offerest  complaints 
with  one  hand  and  wishest  to  withdraw  them  with  the  other. 
Worthiness,  thou  wert  offended  by  the  rabble  ;  hence  it  was  thy 
affair  to  punish  it.  If  thou  hast  forgiven  it,  the  state  has  noth 
ing  to  answer." 

"The  state!  —the  state!  "  repeated  the  prince.  "  We  are 
the  state,"  added  he,  blinking. 

"Yes,  the  state  is  the  pharaoh  and — his  most  faithful  ser 
vants,"  added  the  secretary. 

This  conversation  with  such  a  high  official  sufficed  to  obliter 
ate  in  the  prince's  soul  those  ideas  of  state  dignity  which  were 
growing  and  powerful,  though  indistinct  yet.  "  The  state,  then, 
is  not  that  immovable,  ancient  edifice  to  which  each  pharaoh  is 
bound  to  add  one  stone  of  glory,  but  rather  a  sand-heap,  which 
each  ruler  reshapes  as  he  pleases.  In  the  state  there  are  no 
narrow  doors,  known  as  laws,  in  passing  through  which  each 
must  bow  his  head,  whoever  he  be,  erpatr  or  earth- worker.  In 
this  edifice  are  various  entrances  and  exits,  narrow  for  the 
weak  and  small,  very  wide,  nay,  commodious  for  the  powerful." 

"  If  this  be  so,"  thought  the  prince,  as  the  idea  flashed  on 
him,  "  I  will  make  the  order  which  shall  pleaoe  me." 

At  that  moment  Rameses  remembered  two  people,  —  the 
liberated  black  who  without  waiting  for  command  had  been 
ready  to  die  for  him,  and  that  unknown  priest. 

"  If  I  had  more  like  them,  my  will  would  have  meaning  in 
Egypt  and  beyond  it,"  said  he  to  himself,  and  he  felt  an  inex 
tinguishable  desire  to  find  that  priest. 

u  He  is,  in  all  likelihood,  the  man  who  restrained  the  crowd 
from  attacking  my  house.  On  the  one  hand  he  knows  law  to 
perfection,  on  the  other  he  knows  how  to  manage  multitudes." 

"  A  man  beyond  price  !     I  must  have  him." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  85 

From  that  time  Rameses,  in  a  small  boat  managed  by  one 
oarsman,  began  to  visit  the  cottages  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
villa.  Dressed  in  a  tunic  and  a  great  wig,  in  his  hand  a  staff 
on  which  a  measure  was  cut  out,  the  prince  looked  like  an  en 
gineer  studying  the  Nile  and  its  overflows. 

Earth-tillers  gave  him  willingly  all  explanations  concerning 
changes  in  the  form  of  land  because  of  inundations,  and  at  the 
same  time  they  begged  that  the  government  might  think  out 
some  easier  way  of  raising  water  than  by  sweeps  and  buckets. 
They  told  too  of  the  attack  on  the  house  of  Prince  Rameses, 
and  said  that  they  knew  not  who  threw  the  stones.  Finally 
they  mentioned  the  priest  who  had  sent  the  crowd  away  so  suc 
cessfully  ;  but  who  he  was  they  knew  not. 

"There  is,"  said  one  man,  "a  priest  in  our  neighborhood 
who  cures  sore  eyes ;  there  is  one  who  heals  wounds  and  sets 
broken  arms  and  legs.  There  are  some  priests  who  teach 
reading  and  writing ;  there  is  one  who  plays  on  a  double  flute, 
and  plays  even  beautifully.  But  that  one  who  was  in  the 
garden  of  the  heir  is  not  among  them,  and  they  know  nothing 
of  him.  Surely  he  must  be  the  god  Num,  or  some  spirit 
watching  over  the  prince,  —  may  he  live  through  eternity  and 
always  have  appetite  !  " 

"  Maybe  it  is  really  some  spirit,"  thought  Rameses. 

In  Egypt  good  or  evil  spirits  always  came  more  easily  than 
rain. 

The  water  of  the  Nile  from  being  ruddy  became  brownish, 
and  in  August,  the  month  of  Hator,  it  reached  one  half  its 
height.  The  sluices  were  opened  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
and  the  water  began  to  fill  the  canals  quickly,  and  also  the 
gigantic  artificial  lake,  Moeris,  in  the  province  Fayum,  cele 
brated  for  the  beauty  of  its  roses.  Lower  Egypt  looked  like 
an  arm  of  the  sea  thickly  dotted  with  hills  on  which  were 
houses  and  gardens.  Communication  by  land  ceased  alto 
gether,  and  such  a  multitude  of  boats  circled  around  on  the 
water  —  boats  white,  yellow,  red,  dark  —  that  they  seemed  like 
leaves  in  autumn.  On  the  highest  points  of  land  people  had 
finished  harvesting  the  peculiar  cotton  of  the  country,  and  for 
the  second  time  had  cut  clover  and  begun  to  gather  in  olives 
and  tamarinds. 


86  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

On  a  certain  day,  while  sailing  along  over  inundated  lands, 
the  prince  saw  an  unusual  movement.  On  one  of  the  temporary 
mounds  was  heard  among  the  trees  the  loud  cry  of  a  woman. 

"  Surely  some  one  is  dead,"  thought  Rameses. 

From  a  second  mound  were  sailing  away  in  small  boats  sup 
plies  of  wheat  and  some  cattle,  while  people  standing  at  build 
ings  on  the  land  threatened  and  abused  people  in  the  boats. 

"  Some  quarrel  among  neighbors,"  said  the  prince  to  himself. 

In  remoter  places  there  was  quiet,  and  people  instead  of  work 
ing  or  singing  were  sitting  on  the  ground  in  silence. 

"  They  must  have  finished  work  and  are  resting." 

But  from  a  third  mound  a  boat  moved  away  with  a  number 
of  crying  children,  while  a  woman  wading  in  the  water  to  her 
waist  shook  her  fist  and  threatened. 

"They  are  taking  children  to  school,"  thought  Rameses. 

These  happenings  began  to  interest  him. 

On  a  fourth  mound  he  heard  a  fresh  cry.  He  shaded  his 
eyes  and  saw  a  man  lying  on  the  ground ;  a  negro  was  beating 
him. 

"  What  is  happening  there?  "  asked  Rameses  of  the  boatman. 

"Does  not  my  lord  see  that  they  are  beating  a  wretched 
earth-tiller?  "  answered  the  boatman,  smiling.  "  He  must  have 
done  something,  so  pain  is  travelling  through  his  bones." 

"But  who  art  thou?" 

"  I?"  replied  the  boatman,  proudly.  "  I  am  a  free  fisherman. 
If  I  give  a  certain  share  of  my  catch  to  his  holiness,  I  may  sail 
the  Nile  from  the  sea  to  the  cataract.  A  fisherman  is  like  a 
fish  or  a  wild  goose ;  but  an  earth-tiller  is  like  a  tree  which 
nourishes  lords  with  its  fruit  and  can  never  escape  but  only 
squeaks  when  overseers  spoil  the  bark  on  it." 

"Oho!  ho!  but  look  there!"  cried  the  fisherman,  pleased 
again.  "  Hei !  father,  don't  drink  up  all  the  water,  or  there  will 
be  a  bad  harvest." 

This  humorous  exclamation  referred  to  a  group  of  persons 
who  were  displaying  a  very  original  activity.  A  number  of 
naked  laborers  were  holding  a  man  by  the  legs  and  plunging 
him  head  first  in  the  water  to  his  neck,  to  his  breast,  and  at 
last  to  his  waist.  Near  them  stood  an  overseer  with  a  cane ; 
he  wore  a  stained  tunic  and  a  wig  made  of  sheepskin. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  87 

A  little  farther  on  some  men  held  a  woman  by  the  arms, 
while  she  screamed  in  a  voice  which  was  heaven-piercing. 

Beating  with  a  stick  was  as  general  in  the  happy  kingdom  of 
the  pharaoh  as  eating  and  sleeping.  They  beat  children  and 
grown  people,  earth-tillers,  artisans,  warriors,  officers,  and 
officials.  All  living  persons  were  caned  save  only  priests 
and  the  highest  officials  —  there  was  no  one  to  cane  them. 
Hence  the  prince  looked  calmly  enough  on  an  earth-worker 
beaten  with  a  cane;  but  to  plunge  a  man  into  water  roused 
his  attention. 

"Hoi  ho!  "  laughed  the  boatman,  meanwhile,  "  but  are  they 
giving  him  drink !  He  will  grow  so  thick  that  his  wife  must 
lengthen  his  belt  for  him." 

The  prince  commanded  to  row  to  the  mound.  Meanwhile 
they  had  taken  the  man  from  the  river,  let  him  cough  out 
water,  and  seized  him  a  second  time  by  the  legs,  in  spite  of  the 
unearthly  screams  of  his  wife,  who  fell  to  biting  the  men  who 
had  seized  her. 

44  Stop !  "  cried  Rameses  to  those  who  were  dragging  the 
earth-tiller. 

44  Do  your  duty !  "  cried  he  of  the  sheepskin  wig,  in  nasal 
tones.  "Who  art  thou,  insolent,  who  darest  —  " 

At  that  moment  the  prince  gave  him  a  blow  on  the  forehead 
with  his  cane,  which  luckily  was  light.  Still  the  owner  of  the 
stained  tunic  dropped  to  the  earth,  and  feeling  his  wig  and 
head,  looked  with  misty  eyes  at  the  attacker. 

44  I  divine,"  said  he  in  a  natural  voice,  "that  I  have  the 
honor  to  converse  with  a  notable  person.  May  good  humor 
always  accompany  thee,  lord,  and  bile  never  spread  through 
thy  bones  — 

4 'What  art  thou  doing  to  this  man?"  interrupted  Rameses. 

4 'Thou  inquirest,"  returned  the  man,  speaking  again  in  nasal 
tones,  "  like  a  foreigner  unacquainted  with  the  customs  of  the 
country  and  the  people,  to  whom  he  speaks  too  freely.  Know, 
then,  that  I  am  the  collector  of  his  worthiness  Dagon,  the  first 
banker  in  Memphis.  And  if  thou  hast  not  grown  pale  yet, 
know  that  the  worthy  Dagon  is  the  agent  and  the  friend  of 
the  erpatr,  —  may  he  live  through  eternity  !  —  and  that  thou  hast 
committed  violence  on  the  lands  of  Prince  Rameses  ;  to  this  my 
people  will  testify." 


88  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Then  know  this,"  interrupted  the  prince;  but  he  stopped 
suddenly.  ' f  By  what  right  art  thou  torturing  in  this  way  one 
of  the  prince's  earth-tillers?  " 

"Because  he  will  not  pay  his  rent,  and  the  treasury  of  the 
heir  is  in  need  of  it." 

The  servants  of  the  official,  in  view  of  the  catastrophe  which 
had  come  on  their  master,  dropped  their  victim  and  stood  as 
helpless  as  the  members  of  a  body  from  which  its  head  has 
been  severed.  The  liberated  man  began  to  spit  again  and 
shake  the  water  out  of  his  ears,  but  his  wife  rushed  up  to 
the  rescuer. 

"  Whoever  thou  art,"  groaned  she,  clasping  her  hands  before 
Rameses,  "  a  god,  or  even  a  messenger  of  the  pharaoh,  listen 
to  the  tale  of  our  sufferings.  We  are  earth-tillers  of  the  heir  to 
the  throne,  —  may  he  live  through  eternity!  —  and  we  have  paid 
all  our  dues :  in  millet,  in  wheat,  in  flowers,  and  in  skins  of 
cattle.  But  in  the  last  ten  days  this  man  here  has  come  and 
commands  us  again  to  give  seven  measures  of  wheat  to  him. 
'By  what  right?'  asks  my  husband;  '  the  rents  are  paid,  all  of 
them/  But  he  throws  my  husband  on  the  ground,  stamps,  and 
sa}7s,  '  By  this  right,  that  the  worthy  Dagoii  has  commanded.' 
4  Whence  shall  I  get  wheat/  asks  my  husband,  '  when  we 
have  none  and  for  a  month  past  we  have  eaten  only  seeds, 
or  roots  of  lotus,  which  are  harder  and  harder  to  get,  for  great 
lords  like  to  amuse  themselves  with  flowers  of  the  lotus  ?  ' ' 

She  lost  breath  and  fell  to  weeping.  The  prince  waited 
patiently  till  she  calmed  herself,  but  the  man  who  had  been 
plunged  into  the  water  grumbled. 

4 '  This  woman  will  bring  misfortune  with  her  talk.  I  have 
said  that  I  do  not  like  to  see  women  meddle." 

Meanwhile  the  official,  pushing  up  to  the  boatman,  asked  in 
an  undertone,  indicating  Rameses, — 

4 'Who  is  this?" 

"  Ah,  may  thy  tongue  wither !  "  answered  the  boatman. 
"  Dost  thou  not  see  that  he  must  be  a  great  lord  :  he  pays  well 
and  strikes  heavily." 

"I  saw  at  once,"  answered  the  official,  "that  he  must  be 
some  great  person.  My  youth  passed  at  feasts  with  noted 
persons." 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  89 

"  Aha!  the  sauces  have  stuck  to  thy  dress  after  those  feasts," 
blurted  out  the  boatman. 

The  woman,  after  crying,  continued,  — 

"  To-day  this  scribe  came  with  his  people,  and  said  to  my 
husband,  '  If  thou  hast  not  money,  give  thy  two  sons.  The 
worthy  Dagon  will  not  only  forgive  thee  the  rent,  but  will  pay 
thee  a  drachma  a  year  for  each  boy. ' ' 

11  Woe  to  me  because  of  thee!  "  roared  the  half-drowned  hus 
band  ;  "  thou  wilt  destroy  us  all  with  thy  babbling.  Do  not  lis 
ten  to  her,"  continued  he,  turning  to  Rameses.  "  As  a  cow 
thinks  that  she  frightens  off  flies  with  her  tail,  so  it  seems  to 
a  woman  that  she  can  drive  away  collectors  with  her  tongue ; 
and  neither  cow  nor  woman  knows  that  she  is  stupid." 

u  Thou  art  stupid!  "  said  the  woman.  "  Suniike  lord  with 
the  form  of  a  pharaoh  — 

"  I  call  to  witness  that  this  woman  blasphemes,"  said  the 
official  to  his  people  in  a  low  voice. 

' '  Odorous  flower,  whose  voice  is  like  a  flute,  listen  to  me !  " 
implored  the  woman  of  Rameses.  "Then  my  husband  an 
swered  this  official,  '  I  would  rather  lose  two  bulls,  if  I  had 
them,  than  give  my  boys  away,  though  thou  wert  to  give  me 
four  drachmas ;  for  when  a  boy  leaves  home  for  service  no 
one  ever  sees  him  after  that.' ;: 

"  Would  that  I  were  choked  !  would  that  fish  were  eating  my 
body  in  the  bottom  of  the  Nile !  "  groaned  the  earth-tiller. 
"Thou  wilt  destroy  all  our  house  with  thy  complaints, 
woman." 

The  official,  seeing  that  he  had  the  support  of  the  side  mainly 
interested,  stepped  forth  and  began,  in  nasal  tones,  a  second 
time,  — 

"  Since  the  sun  rises  beyond  the  palace  of  the  pharaoh  and 
sets  over  the  pyramids,  various  wonders  have  happened  in  this 
country.  In  the  days  of  the  Pharaoh  Sememphes  marvellous 
things  appeared  near  the  pyramid  of  Kochom,  and  a  plague  fell 
on  Egypt.  In  the  time  of  Boetus  the  ground  opened  near 
Bubastis  and  swallowed  many  people.  In  the  reign  of  Nefer- 
ches  the  waters  of  the  Nile  for  eleven  days  were  as  sweet  as 
honey.  Men  saw  these  and  many  other  things  of  which  I  know, 
for  I  am  full  of  wisdom.  But  never  has  it  been  seen  that  some 


90  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

unknown  man  came  up  out  of  the  water  and  stopped  the  col 
lection  of  rent  in  the  lands  of  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt." 

44  Be  silent/'  shouted  Rameses,  "  and  be  off  out  of  this  place ! 
No  one  will  take  thy  children,"  said  he  to  the  woman. 

44  It  is  easy  for  me  to  go  away,"  said  the  collector,  44  for  I 
have  a  swift  boat  and  five  rowers.  But,  worthiness,  give  me 
some  sign  for  my  lord  Dagon." 

"  Take  off  thy  wig  and  show  him  the  sign  on  thy  forehead,'' 
said  Rameses.  "  And  tell  Dagon  that  I  will  put  marks  of  the 
same  kind  all  over  his  body/' 

44  Listen  to  that  blasphemy!"  whispered  the  collector  to  his 
men,  drawing  back  toward  the  bank  with  low  bows. 

He  sat  down  in  the  boat,  and  when  his  assistants  had  moved 
off  and  pushed  away  some  tens  of  yards,  lie  stretched  out  his 
hand  and  shouted,  — 

44  May  gripe  seize  thy  intestines,  blasphemer,  rebel!  From 
here  I  will  go  straight  to  Prince  Rameses  and  tell  him  what  is 
happening  on  his  lands." 

Then  he  took  his  cane  and  belabored  his  men  because  they 
had  not  taken  part  with  him. 

44  So  it  will  be  with  thee  !  "  cried  he  to  Rameses. 

The  prince  sprang  into  his  boat  and  in  s  rage  commanded 
the  boatman  to  pursue  the  insolent  servant  of  the  usurer.  But 
he  of  the  sheepskin  wig  threw  down  the  cane,  took  an  oar  him 
self,  and  his  men  helped  him  so  well  that  pursuit  became 
impossible. 

44  Sooner  could  an  owl  overtake  a  lark  than  we  overtake 
them,  my  beautiful  lord,"  cried  the  prince's  boatman,  laughing. 
44  But  who  art  thou?  Thou  art  not  a  surveyor,  but  an  officer, 
maybe  even  an  officer  of  the  guard  of  his  holiness.  Thou  dost 
strike  right  always  on  the  forehead !  I  know  about  this  ;  I  was 
five  years  in  the  army.  I  always  struck  on  the  forehead  or 
the  belly,  and  I  had  not  the  worst  time  in  the  world.  But  if  any 
one  struck  me,  I  understood  right  away  that  he  must  be  a  great 
person.  In  our  Egypt  —  may  the  gods  never  leave  the  land  !  — 
it  is  terribly  crowded ;  town  is  near  town,  house  is  near  house, 
man  is  near  man.  Whoso  wishes  to  turn  in  this  throng  must 
strike  in  the  forehead." 

44  Art  thou  married?  "  asked  the  prince. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  91 

"  Pf u !  when  I  have  a  woman  and  place  for  a  person  and  a 
half,  I  am  married  ;  but  for  the  rest  of  the  time  I  am  single.  I 
have  been  in  the  arm}7,  and  I  know  that  a  woman  is  good, 
though  not  at  all  times.  She  is  in  the  way  often." 

"  Perhaps  thou  wouldst  come  to  me  for  service?  Who 
knows,  wouldst  thou  be  sorry  to  work  for  me?" 

"With  permission,  worthiness,  I  noticed  that  thou  couldst 
lead  a  regiment  in  spite  of  thy  young  face.  But  I  enter  the 
service  of  no  man.  I  am  a  free  fisherman  ;  my  grandfather  was, 
with  permission,  a  shepherd  in  Lower  Egypt,  our  family  comes 
of  the  Hyksos  people.  It  is  true  that  dull  Egyptian  earth-tillers 
revile  us,  but  I  laugh  at  them.  The  earth-tillers  and  the  Hyksos, 
I  say,  worthiness,  are  like  an  ox  and  a  bull.  The  earth-tiller 
may  go  behind  the  plough  or  before  it,  but  the  Hyksos  will  not 
serve  any  man,  unless  in  the  army  of  his  holiness,  —  that  is 
warrior  life." 

The  boatman  was  in  the  vein  and  talked  continually,  but  the 
prince  heard  no  longer.  In  his  soul  very  painful  questions 
grew  louder  and  louder,  for  they  were  new  altogether.  Were 
those  mounds,  then,  around  which  he  had  been  sailing,  on  his 
property?  A  marvellous  thing,  he  knew  not  at  all  where  his 
lands  were  nor  what  they  looked  like.  So  in  his  name  Dagon 
had  imposed  new  rents  on  the  people,  and  the  active  movement 
on  which  he  had  been  looking  while  moving  along  the  shores 
was  the  extortion  of  rents.  It  was  clear  that  the  man  whom 
they  had  been  beating  on  the  shore  had  nothing  to  pay  with. 
The  children  who  were  crying  bitterly  in  the  boat  were  sold  at 
a  drachma  per  head  for  a  twelvemonth,  and  that  woman  who 
was  wading  in  the  water  to  her  waist  and  weeping  was  their 
mother. 

"Women  are  very  unquiet,"  said  the  prince  to  himself. 
"  Sarah  is  the  quietest  woman ;  but  others  love  to  talk  much,  to 
cry  and  raise  an  uproar." 

He  remembered  the  man  who  was  pacifying  his  wife's  excite 
ment.  They  had  been  plunging  him  into  the  water  and  he  was 
not  angry;  they  did  nothing  to  her,  and  still  she  made  an 
uproar. 

"  Women  are  very  unquiet!  "  repeated  be.  "  Yes,  even  my 
mother,  who  is  worthy  of  honor.  What  a  difference  between  her 


92  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

and  my  father !  His  holiness  does  not  wish  to  know  at  all 
that  I  left  the  array  for  a  girl,  but  the  queen  likes  to  occupy 
herself  even  with  this,  that  I  took  into  my  house  a  Jewess. 
Sarah  is  the  quietest  of  women  whom  I  know ;  but  Tafet  cries 
and  makes  an  uproar  for  four  persons." 

Then  the  prince  recalled  the  words  of  the  man's  wife,  —  that 
for  a  month  they  had  not  eaten  wheat,  only  seeds  and  roots  of 
lotus.  Lotus  and  poppy  seeds  are  similar;  the  roots  are  poor. 
He  could  not  eat  them  for  three  days  in  succession.  Moreover, 
the  priests  who  were  occupied  in  medicine  advised  change  of 
diet.  While  in  school  they  told  him  that  a  man  ought  to  eat 
flesh  with  fish,  dates  with  wheat  bread,  figs  with  barley.  But  for 
a  whole  month  to  live  on  lotus  seeds !  Well,  cows  and  horses? 
Cows  and  horses  like  hay,  but  barley  straw  must  be  shoved  into 
their  throats  by  force.  Surely  then  earth-workers  prefer  lotus 
seeds  as  food,  while  wheat  or  barley  cakes,  fish  and  flesh  they 
do  not  relish.  For  that  matter,  the  most  pious  priests,  wonder 
workers,  never  touch  flesh  or  fish.  Evidently  magnates  and 
king's  sons  need  flesh,  just  as  lions  and  eagles  do ;  but  earth- 
tillers  grass,  like  an  ox. 

"Only  that  plunging  into  the  water  to  pay  rent.  Ei !  but 
did  n't  he  once  in  bathing  with  his  comrades  put  them  under 
water,  and  even  dive  himself  ?  What  laughing  they  had  in  those 
days !  Diving  was  fun.  And  as  to  beating  with  a  cane,  how 
many  times  had  they  beaten  him  in  school?  It  is  painful,  but 
evidently  not  for  every  creature.  A  beaten  dog  howls  and 
bites ;  a  beaten  ox  does  not  even  look  around.  So  beating 
may  pain  a  great  lord,  but  a  common  man  cries  only  so  as  to 
cry  when  the  chance  comes.  Not  all  cry  ;  soldiers  and  officers 
sing  while  belabored." 

But  these  wise  reflections  could  not  drown  the  small  but 
annoying  disquiet  in  the  heart  of  Rameses.  So  his  tenant 
Dagon  had  imposed  an  unjust  rent  which  the  tenants  could  not 
pay! 

At  this  moment  the  prince  was  not  concerned  about  the  ten 
ants,  but  his  mother.  His  mother  must  know  of  this  Phoenician 
management.  What  would  she  say  about  it  to  her  son?  How 
she  would  look  at  him  !  How  sneeringly  she  would  laugh  !  And 
she  would  not  be  a  woman  if  she  did  not  speak  to  him  as  fol- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  93 

lows:  "I  told  thee,  Rameses,  that  Phoenicians  would  desolate 
thy  property." 

"If  those  traitorous  priests,"  thought  the  prince,  "would 
give  me  twenty  talents  to-day,  I  would  drive  out  that  Dagon 
in  the  morning,  my  tenants  would  not  be  plunged  under  water, 
would  not  suffer  blows,  and  my  mother  would  not  jeer  at  me. 
A  tenth,  a  hundredth  part  of  that  wealth  which  is  lying  in  the 
lemples  and  feeding  the  greedy  eyes  of  those  bare  heads  would 
make  me  independent  for  years  of  Phoenicians." 

Just  then  an  idea  which  was  strange  enough  flashed  up  in  the 
soul  of  Rameses,  —  that  between  priests  and  earth-tillers  there 
existed  a  certain  opposition. 

"Through  Ilerhor,"  thought  he,  "that  man  hanged  himself  on 
the  edge  of  the  desert.  To  maintain  priests  and  temples  about 
two  million  Egyptian  men  toil  grievously.  If  the  property  of 
the  priests  belonged  to  the  pharaoh's  treasury,  I  should  not  have 
to  borrow  fifteen  talents  and  my  people  would  not  be  oppressed 
so  terribly.  There  is  the  source  of  misfortunes  for  Egypt  and  of 
weakness  for  its  pharaohs !  " 

The  prince  felt  that  a  wrong  was  done  the  people  ;  therefore  he 
experienced  no  small  solace  in  discovering  that  priests  were  the 
authors  of  this  evil.  It  did  not  occur  to  him  that  his  judgment 
might  be  unjust  and  faulty.  Besides,  he  did  not  judge,  he  was 
only  indignant.  The  auger  of  a  man  never  turns  against  him 
self, —  just  as  a  hungry  panther  never  eats  its  own  body;  it 
twirls  its  tail  and  moves  its  ears  while  looking  for  a  victim. 

CHAPTER   XIII 

THE  expedition  of  the  heir  to  the  throne,  undertaken  with 
the  object  of  discovering  the  priest  who  had  saved  Sarah 
and   had    given    him    legal    advice,    had    a    result   that    was 
unexpected. 

The  priest  was  not  discovered,  but  among  Egyptian  earth- 
tillers  legends  began  to  circulate  which  concerned  Rameses. 

Some  mysterious  man  sailed  about  from  village  to  village 
and  told  the  people  that  the  heir  to  the  throne  freed  the  men 
who  were  in  danger  of  condemnation  to  the  quarries  for  attack- 


94  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ing  his  dwelling.  Besides,  he  had  beaten  down  an  official  who 
was  extorting  unjust  rent  from  tenants.  Finally,  the  unknown 
person  added  that  Prince  Rameses  was  under  the  special 
guardianship  of  Amon,  who  was  his  father. 

Simple  people  listened  to  these  tidings  eagerly,  first,  because 
they  agreed  with  facts,  second,  because  the  man  who  told  the 
story  was  himself  like  a  spirit  —  it  was  not  known  whence  he 
came  nor  whither  he  had  vanished. 

Prince  Rameses  made  no  mention  whatever  of  his  tenants  to 
Dagon ;  he  did  not  even  summon  him.  He  felt  ashamed  in 
presence  of  the  Phoenician  from  whom  he  had  taken  money  and 
might  require  money  yet  more  than  one  time. 

But  a  few  days  after  the  adventure  with  Dagon's  scribe  the 
banker  came  himself  to  the  heir,  holding  in  his  hand  some 
covered  object. 

On  entering  the  prince's  chamber  he  bent  down,  untied  a 
white  kerchief,  and  drew  forth  from  it  a  very  beautiful  gold 
goblet ;  the  goblet  was  set  with  stones  of  various  colors,  and 
covered  with  carving  in  relief  which  on  the  lower  part  represented 
the  gathering  and  pressing  out  of  grapes  and  on  the  cup  part 
a  feast. 

"  Accept  this  goblet,  worthy  lord,  from  thy  slave,"  said  the 
banker,  "  and  use  it  for  a  hundred,  a  thousand  years,  to  the 
end  of  ages:" 

The  prince  understood  what  the  Phoenician  wanted  ;  so,  with 
out  touching  the  golden  gift,  he  said  with  a  stern  expression,— 

"  Dost  thou  see,  Dagon,  that  purple  reflection  inside  the 
goblet?" 

"  I  do,  indeed,"  replied  the  banker;  "  why  should  I  not  see 
that  which  shows  the  goblet  to  be  the  purest  gold  ?  " 

"  But  I  declare  that  to  be  the  blood  of  children  seized  away 
from  their  parents,"  said  the  heir,  angrily. 

And  he  turned  and  went  to  an  interior  chamber. 

"  O  Astoreth !  "  groaned  the  Phoenician. 

His  lips  grew  blue,  and  his  hands  trembled  so  that  he  was 
hardly  able  to  wrap  up  the  goblet. 

A  couple  of  days  later  Dagon  sailed  down  with  his  goblet  to 
Sarah's  house.  He  was  arrayed  in  robes  interwoven  with 
gold  ;  in  his  thick  beard  were  glass  globulets  from  which  issued 
perfumes,  and  he  had  fastened  two  plumes  to  his  head. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  95 

"Beautiful  Sarah,"  began  he,  "may  Jehovah  pour  on  thy 
family  as  many  blessings  as  there  are  waters  in  the  Nile  at 
present!  We  Phoenicians  and  ye  Jews  are  brethren  and 
neighbors.  I  am  inflamed  with  such  ardor  of  love  for  thee 
that  didst  thou  not  belong  to  our  most  worthy  lord  I  would  give 
Gideon  ten  talents  for  thee,  and  would  take  thee  for  my  lawful 
wife.  So  enamored  am  I." 

"  May  God  preserve  me,"  answered  Sarah,  "from  wanting 
another  lord  beyond  the  one  who  is  mine  at  this  moment.  But 
whence,  worthy  Dagon,  did  the  desire  come  to  thee  to-day  of 
visiting  our  lord's  servant?" 

"  I  will  tell  thee  the  truth,  as  if  thou  wert  Tamara,  my 
wife,  who,  a  real  daughter  of  Sidon,  though  she  brought 
me  a  large  dowry,  is  old  now  and  not  worthy  to  take  off  thy 
saudals." 

"  In  the  honey  flowing  from  thy  lips  there  is  much  worm 
wood,"  put  in  Sarah. 

"  Let  the  honey/7  replied  Dagon,  sitting  down,  "  be  for  thee  and 
let  the  wormwood  poison  my  heart.  Our  lord  Prince  Rameses 
—  may  he  live  through  eternity!  —  has  the  mouth  of  a  lion 
and  the  keenness  of  a  vulture.  He  has  seen  fit  to  rent  his  estate 
to  me.  This  has  filled  my  stomach  with  delight ;  but  he  does 
not  trust  me,  so  I  lay  awake  whole  nights  from  anxiety,  I  only 
sigh  and  cover  my  bed  with  tears,  in  which  bed  would  that  thou 
wert  resting  with  me,  O  Sarah,  instead  of  my  wife  Tamara, 
who  cannot  rouse  desire  in  me  any  longer." 

"That  is  not  what  thou  wishest  to  say,"  interrupted  the 
blushing  Sarah. 

"  I  know  not  what  I  wish  to  say,  since  I  have  looked  on  thee, 
and  since  our  lord,  examining  my  activity  on  his  estates,  struck 
with  a  cane  and  took  health  from  my  scribe  who  was  collecting 
dues  there  from  tenants.  And  these  dues  were  not  for  me, 
Sarah,  but  for  our  lord.  It  is  not  I  who  will  eat  the  figs  and 
wheaten  bread  from  those  lands,  but  thou  and  our  lord.  I  have 
given  money  to  our  lord  and  jewels  to  thee.  Why  then  should 
the  low  Egyptian  rabble  impoverish  our  lord  and  thee,  Sarah: 
To  show  how  greatly  thou  rousest  my  desire  and  that  from  these 
estates  I  wish  nothing  but  reserve  all  for  thee  and  our  lord,  I 
give  this  goblet  of  pure  gold  set  with  jewels  and  covered  with 
carving  at  which  the  gods  themselves  would  be  astonished." 


96  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

Then  Dagon  drew  forth  from  the  cloth  the  goblet  refused  by 
Prince  Rameses. 

"  I  do  not  even  wish  that  thou  shouldst  have  the  goblet  in 
the  house  and  give  the  prince  to  drink  from  it.  Give  this 
goblet  of  pure  gold  to  Gideon,  whom  I  love  as  my  own  brother. 
And  thou,  Sarah,  tell  thy  father  these  words :  '  Thy  twin 
brother  Dagon,  the  unfortunate  tenant  on  the  lands  of  Prince 
Rameses,  is  ruined.  Drink  then,  my  father,  from  this  goblet, 
think  of  thy  twin  brother,  and  beg  Jehovah  that  our  lord, 
Prince  Rameses,  may  not  beat  his  scribes,  and  bring  to  revolt 
tenants  who  even  now  have  no  wish  to  pay  tribute?  And 
know  this,  Sarah,  that  if  thou  wouldst  admit  me  to  confidence 
I  would  give  thee  two  talents,  and  thy  father  one  talent,  and, 
besides,  I  should  be  ashamed  of  giving  thee  so  little,  for  thou  de- 
servest  that  the  pharaoh  himself  should  fondle  thee,  and  the  heir 
of  the  throne,  and  the  worthy  minister  Herhor,  and  the  most 
valiant  Nitager,  and  the  richest  bankers  of  the  Phoenicians. 
There  is  such  a  taste  in  thee  that  I  grow  faint  when  I  gaze 
at  thee,  and  when  I  see  thee  not,  I  close  my  eyes  and  lick 
my  lips.  Thou  art  sweeter  than  figs,  more  fragrant  than 
roses.  I  would  give  thee  five  talents.  Take  this  goblet, 
Sarah." 

Sarah  drew  back  with  drooping  eyes. 

"  I  will  not  take  the  goblet,"  answered  she;  "my  lord  for 
bade  me  to  take  gifts  from  any  one." 

Dagon  was  astonished,  and  looked  with  widely  opened  eyes 
at  her. 

"Then  it  must  be  that  thou  knowest  not,  Sarah,  the  value 
of  this  goblet.  But  I  give  it  to  thy  father,  who  is  my 
brother." 

"I  cannot  take  it,"  whispered  Sarah. 

"  Oh!  "  cried  Dagon.  "  Then  thou,  Sarah,  wilt  pay  me  for 
this  goblet  in  another  way,  without  speaking  to  thy  lord.  But 
a  woman  as  beautiful  as  thou  must  have  gold  and  jewels,  and 
should  have  her  own  banker  to  bring  her  money  when  she 
pleases,  not  alone  when  her  lord  likes." 

"  I  cannot  !  "  whispered  Sarah,  without  concealing  her  repul 
sion  for  the  banker. 

The  Phoenician  changed  his  tone  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye, 
and  said  laughing,  — 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  97 

"  Very  good,  Sarah !  I  only  wished  to  convince  myself 
that  thou  art  faithful  to  our  lord.  I  see  that  thou  art  faithful, 
though  foolish,  as  people  say." 

u  What?"  burst  out  Sarah,  rushing  at  Dagon  with  clinched 
fist. 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  "  laughed  the  Phoenician.  "  What  a  pity  that  out- 
lord  could  not  hear  and  see  thee  this  moment!  But  I  will  tell 
him,  when  he  is  in  good  humor,  that  thou  art  not  only  as  faith 
ful  as  a  dog  to  him,  but  even  that  thou  wouldst  not  accept  a 
gold  goblet  because  he  has  not  permitted  thee  to  take  presents. 
And  this  goblet,  believe  me,  Sarah,  has  tempted  more  than  one 
woman,  and  women  who  were  not  of  small  importance." 

Dagon  sat  awhile  admiring  the  virtue  and  obedience  of 
Sarah ;  at  last  he  took  farewell  of  her  with  much  feeling,  sat 
down  in  his  tented  boat,  and  sailed  away  toward  Memphis. 
When  the  boat  had  pushed  off  from  the  country  house,  the 
smile  vanished  from  the  banker's  face,  and  an  expression  of 
anger  came  out  thereon.  When  Sarah's  house  was  hidden 
behind  the  trees,  Dagon  stood  up  and  raised  his  hands. 

"O  Baal  of  Sidon,  O  Astoreth !  "  said  he,  "-avenge  my  in 
sult  on  this  cursed  daughter  of  a  Jew.  Let  her  treacherous 
beauty  perish  as  a  drop  of  rain  in  the  desert!  May  disease 
devour  her  body,  and  madness  bind  her  soul !  May  her  lord 
hunt  her  out  of  his  house  like  a  mangy  swine!  And  as  to-day 
she  pushed  my  goblet  aside,  may  the  hour  come  when  people 
will  push  her  withered  hand  aside,  when  in  thirst  she  begs  them 
for  a  cup  of  dirty  water." 

Then  he  spat  and  muttered  words  with  hidden  and  dreadful 
meaning ;  a  black  cloud  covered  the  sun  for  a  while,  and  the 
water  near  the  side  of  the  boat  began  to  grow  muddy  and  rise 
in  a  mighty  wave.  When  he  finished,  the  sun  had  grown 
bright  again  ;  but  the  river  was  disturbed,  as  if  a  new  inunda 
tion  were  moving  it. 

Dagon's  rowers  were  frightened,  and  ceased  their  singing ; 
but  separated  from  their  master  by  the  side  of  the  boat,  they 
could  not  see  his  ceremonies. 

Thenceforth  the  Phoenician  did  not  appear  before  Prince 
Rameses.  But  on  a  certain  day  when  the  prince  came  to  his 
residence,  lie  found  in  his  bedchamber  a  beautiful  Phoenician 


98  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

dancer,  sixteen  years  of  age,  whose  entire  dress  was  a  golden 
circlet  on  her  head,  and  a  shawl,  as  delicate  as  spider  webs, 
thrown  across  her  shoulders. 

"  Who  art  thou?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"  I  am  a  priestess,  and  thy  servant ;  the  lord  Dagon  has 
sent  me  to  frighten  away  thy  anger  against  him." 

"  How  wilt  thou  do  that?" 

"  Oh,  in  this  way  —  sit  down  there,"  said  she,  seating  him  in 
an  armchair.  "  I  will  stand  on  tiptoe,  so  as  to  grow  taller  than 
thy  anger,  and  with  this  shawl,  which  is  sacred,  I  will  drive 
evil  spirits  from  thee.  A  kish !  a  kish!"  whispered  she, 
dancing  in  a  circle.  "  Rameses,  let  my  hands  remove  gloom 
from  thy  hair,  let  my  kisses  bring  back  to  thy  eyes  their  bright 
glances.  Let  the  beating  of  my  heart  fill  thy  ears  with  music, 
lord  of  Egypt.  — A  kish !  a  kisli!  he  is  not  yours,  but  mine.  — 
Love  demands  such  silence  that  in  its  presence  even  anger 
must  grow  still." 

While  dancing,  she  played  with  the  prince's  hair,  put  her 
arms  around  his  neck,  kissed  him  on  the  eyes.  At  last  she 
sat  down  wearied  at  his  feet,  and,  resting  her  head  on  his 
knees,  turned  her  face  toward  him  quickly,  panting  with  parted 
lips. 

"Thou  art  no  longer  angry  with  thy  servant  Dagon?" 
whispered  she,  stroking  his  face. 

Rameses  wished  to  kiss  her  on  the  lips,  but  she  sprang  away 
from  his  knees,  crying,  — 

"  Oh,  that  is  not  possible !  " 

"  Why  so?" 

"I  am  a  virgin  and  priestess  of  the  great  goddess  Astoreth. 
Thou  wouldst  have  to  love  my  guardian  goddess  greatly,  and 
honor  her  before  thou  couldst  kiss  me." 

"  But  is  it  permitted  thee?  " 

"  All  things  are  permitted  me,  for  I  am  a  priestess,  and  have 
sworn  to  preserve  my  virginity." 

"  Why  hast  thou  come  hither,  then?  " 

"  To  drive  out  thy  anger.  I  have  done  so,  I  depart,  Be 
well  and  kind  always,"  added  she,  with  a  piercing  glance. 

"Where  dost  thou  dwell?  What  is  thy  name?"  asked 
Rameses. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  99 

"  My  name  is  Fondling,  and  I  dwell  —  Ei,  why  should 
I  tell?  Thou  wilt  not  come  soon  to  me." 

She  waved  her  hand  and  vanished.  The  prince,  as  if 
stunned,  did  not  move  from  his  chair.  When  after  a  while 
he  looked  through  the  window,  he  saw  a  rich  litter  which  four 
Nubians  bore  toward  the  Nile  swiftly. 

Rameses  was  not  sorry  for  the  departing  woman  ;  she  aston 
ished,  but  did  not  attract  him. 

"  Sarah  is  calmer,"  thought  he,  "  and  more  beautiful.  More 
over,  it  seems  to  me  that  that  Phoenician  must  be  cold,  and  her 
fondlings  are  studied." 

But  from  that  time  the  prince  ceased  to  be  angry  at  Dagon, 
all  the  more  since  on  a  day  when  he  was  at  Sarah's  earth- 
tillers  came  to  him,  and  thanking  him  for  protection  declared 
that  the  Phoenician  forced  them  to  pay  new  rents  no  longer. 

That  was  the  case  close  to  Memphis,  but  on  other  lands  the 
prince's  tenants  made  good  Dagon's  losses. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

IN  the  month  of  Choeak  (from  the  middle  of  September  to 
the  middle  of  October),  the  waters  of  the  Nile  were  highest, 
and  began  to  fall  slightly.  In  the  gardens  people  gathered 
tamarinds,  dates,  olives  ;  and  trees  blossomed  a  second  time. 

At  this  juncture  his  holiness  Rameses  XII.  left  his  sun-bright 
palace  in  Memphis,  and  with  a  grand  suite  on  some  tens  of 
stately  barges  sailed  to  Thebes,  to  thank  the  gods  there  for 
the  bounteous  inundation,  and  also  to  place  offerings  on  the 
tombs  of  his  eternally  living  ancestors. 

The  most  worthy  ruler  took  farewell  of  his  heir  very 
graciously ;  but  the  direction  of  state  affairs  during  his 
absence  he  left  with  Herhor. 

Rameses  felt  this  proof  of  want  of  confidence  so  greatly  that 
for  three  days  he  took  no  food  and  did  not  leave  his  villa ;  he 
only  wept.  Later  he  ceased  to  shave,  and  transferred  himself 
to  Sarah's  house,  so  as  not  to  meet  Herhor  or  annoy  his  own 
mother,  whom  he  considered  the  cause  of  his  failures. 


100  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

On  the  following  day  Tutmosis  visited  him  in  this  retreat, 
bringing  two  boats  filled  with  musicians  and  dancers,  and  a 
third  containing  baskets  of  food  and  flowers,  with  pitchers  of 
wine.  But  the  prince  commanded  the  musicians  and  dancers  to 
depart,  and  taking  Tutmosis  to  the  garden,  he  said,  — 

"  Of  course  my  mother  —  may  she  live  through  eternity  !  — 
sent  thee  to  separate  me  from  the  Jewess?  Tell  her  worthiness 
that  were  Herhor  to  become  not  merely  viceroy,  but  the  son  of 
my  father,  I  should  do  that  which  pleases  me.  I  know  how  to 
do  it.  To-day  they  wish  to  deprive  me  of  Sarah,  and  to-morrow 
they  would  take  my  power  from  me ;  I  will  show  them  that  I 
shall  not  renounce  anything." 

The  prince  was  irritated.  Tutmosis  shrugged  his  shoulders, 
and  remarked  finally,  — 

"  As  a  whirlwind  sweeps  a  bird  into  a  desert,  so  does  anger 
cast  a  man  on  the  shores  of  injustice.  How  canst  thou  wonder 
if  the  priests  are  displeased  because  the  heir  to  the  throne  has 
connected  his  life  with  a  woman  of  another  country  and  a 
strange  religion?  Sarah  does  not  please  them,  especially  since 
thou  hast  her  alone.  Hadst  thou  a  number  of  various  women, 
like  all  noble  youths,  they  would  not  mind  the  Jewess.  But 
have  they  done  her  harm  ?  No.  On  the  contrary,  even  some 
priest  defended  her  against  a  raging  crowd  which  it  pleased 
thee  to  liberate  from  imprisonment." 

4 'But  my  mother?" 

Tutmosis  laughed. 

4 'Thy  worthy  mother  loves  thee  as  her  own  eyes  and  heart. 
Of  course  Sarah  does  not  please  her,  either,  but  dost  thou  know 
what  her  worthiness  said  once  to  me?  This,  —  that  J  should 
entice  Sarah  from  thee.  What  a  jest  on  her  part !  To  this  I 
answered  with  a  second  jest :  '  Rameses  has  given  me  a  brace  of 
hunting  dogs  and  two  Syrian  horses  because  he  has  grown  tired 
of  them ;  perhaps  some  day  he  will  give  me  his  mistress  too,  of 
course  I  shall  have  to  take  her  with  other  things.'  " 

"  Do  not  think  of  it.  I  would  not  give  Sarah  to  any  man, 
were  it  only  for  this,  because  of  her  my  father  has  not  ap 
pointed  me  viceroy." 

Tutmosis  shook  his  head. 

"Thou  art  greatly  mistaken,"  answered  he,  "so  much  mis- 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  101 

taken  that  I  am  terrified.  Dost  thou  not  really  understand  the 
causes  of  the  disfavor?  Every  enlightened  Egyptian  knows 
them." 

"  I  know  nothing." 

"So  much  the  worse,"  said  the  anxious  Ttitmosis.  "  Thou 
dost  not  know,  then,  that  warriors,  since  the  manoeuvres, 
especially  Greek  warriors,  drink  thy  health  in  every  dram 
shop." 

"  They  got  money  to  do  so." 

"•  True  ;  but  not  to  cry  out,  with  all  the  voice  that  is  in  them, 
that  when  thou  shalt  succeed  to  his  holiness  —  may  he  live 
through  eternity !  —  thou  wilt  begin  a  great  war,  after  which 
there  will  be  changes  in  Egypt." 

"  What  changes?  And  who  is  the  man  who  during  the  life  of 
the  pharaoh  may  dare  to  speak  of  the  plans  of  his  successor?  " 

Now  the  prince  grew  gloomy. 

"That  is  one  thing,  but  I  will  tell  thee  another,"  said  Tut- 
mosis,  "  for  misfortunes,  like  hyenas,  never  come  singly. 
Dost  thou  know  that  the  lowest  people  sing  songs  about  thee, 
—  sing  how  thou  didst  free  the  attackers  from  prison,  and  what 
is  worse,  they  repeat  again,  that,  when  thou  shalt  succeed  his 
holiness,  rents  will  be  abolished.  It  must  be  added  that  when 
common  people  speak  of  injustice  and  rents,  disturbances  fol 
low  ;  and  either  a  foreign  enemy  attacks  our  weakened  state, 
or  Egypt  is  divided  into  as  many  parts  as  there  are  nomarchs. 
Finally,  judge  for  thyself,  is  it  proper  that  any  man's  name 
should  be  mentioned  oftener  than  the  pharaoh's,  and  that  any 
man  should  stand  between  the  people  and  our  lord  ?  If  thou 
permit,  I  will  tell  how  priests  look  on  this  matter." 

"  Of  course,  speak." 

"Well,  a  very  wise  priest  who  from  the  summit  of  the 
temple  of  Amon  examines  celestial  movements,  has  thought 
out  this  statement:  'The  pharaoh  is  the  sun,  the  heir  to  the 
throne  the  moon.  When  the  moon  follows  the  god  of  light 
from  afar,  we  have  brightness  in  the  daytime  and  clearness  at 
night.  When  the  moon  wishes  to  be  too  near  the  sun,  it  dis 
appears  itself  and  the  nights  are  dark.  But  if  the  moon 
stands  before  the  sun  there  is  an  eclipse,  and  in  the  world 
great  terror  —  '  " 


102  THE    PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST 

"And  all  this  babble,"  interrupted  Rameses,  "goes  to  the 
ears  of  his  holiness.  Misfortune  on  my  head!  Would  that  I 
had  never  been  the  son  of  a  pharaoh! " 

"  The  pharaoh,  as  a  god  upon  earth,  knows  everything  ;  but 
he  is  too  mighty  to  care  for  the  drunken  shouts  of  soldiers  or 
the  whispers  of  earth- tillers.  He  understands  that  every 
Egyptian  would  die  for  him,  and  thou  first  of  all." 

"Thou  hast  spoken  truth!"  answered  the  anxious  prince. 
"But  in  all  this  I  see  new  vileness  and  deceit  of  the  priests," 
added  he,  rousing  himself.  "  It  is  J,  then,  who  hide  the  majesty 
of  our  lord,  because  I  free  the  innocent  from  prison,  or  do  not 
let  my  tenant  torture  earth-workers  with  unjust  tribute.  But 
when  his  worthiness  Herhor  manages  the  army,  appoints  leaders, 
negotiates  with  foreign  princes,  and  directs  my  father  to  spend 
his  time  in  prayers  —  " 

Tutmosis  covered  his  ears,  and,  stamping,  cried,  — 

"Be  silent!  be  silent!  every  word  of  thine  is  blasphemy. 
His  holiness  alone  directs  the  state,  and  whatever  is  done  on 
earth  proceeds  from  his  will.  Herhor  is  a  servant  of  the 
pharaoh  and  does  what  his  lord  enjoins  on  him.  If  thou  wilt 
convince  thyself  —  oh,  that  my  words  be  not  ill  understood  —  " 

The  prince  grew  so  gloomy  that  Tutmosis  broke  off  the 
conversation  and  took  farewell  of  his  friend  at  the  earliest. 
When  he  sat  down  in  his  boat,  which  was  furnished  with  a 
baldachin  and  curtains,  he  drew  a  deep  breath  and  draining  a 
large  goblet  of  wine,  thought,  — 

"  Brr!  I  thank  the  gods  for  not  giving  me  such  a  character 
as  that  which  Rameses  has.  He  is  a  most  unhappy  man  in 
the  happiest  conditions.  He  might  have  the  most  beautiful 
women  in  Memphis,  but  he  sticks  to  one  to  annoy  his  mother. 
Meanwhile  it  is  not  his  mother  that  he  annoys,  but  all  the 
virtuous  virgins  and  faithful  wives  who  are  withering  from 
sadness  that  the  heir  to  the  throne,  and  moreover  a  youth  of 
great  comeliness,  does  not  snatch  from  them  virtue  or  force 
them  to  unfaithfulness.  He  might  not  only  drink  but  even  swim 
in  the  best  wine  ;  meanwhile  he  prefers  the  wretched  camp  beer, 
and  bread  rubbed  with  garlic.  Whence  came  these  low  inclina 
tions?  I  cannot  imagine.  Or  was  it  that  the  worthy  Nikotris 
in  her  critical  period  looked  at  workmen  while  they  were 
eating? 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  103 

"  He  might  do  nothing  from  daylight  till  darkness.  If  he 
wished,  the  most  famous  lords,  with  their  wives,  sisters,  and 
daughters,  would  serve  food  to  him.  He  not  only  stretches 
forth  his  own  hands  to  take  food,  but,  to  the  torment  of  our 
noble  youths,  he  washes  himself,  dresses  himself,  and  his 
barber  spends  whole  days  in  snaring  birds  and  thus  wastes 
his  abilities. 

"  O  Rameses,  Rameses !  "  sighed  the  exquisite.  "  Is  it  pos 
sible  that  fashion  should  be  developed  in  the  time  of  such  a 
prince?  We  wear  the  same  aprons  from  one  year  to  another, 
and  we  retain  wigs,  only  thanks  to  court  dignitaries,  for 
Rameses  will  not  wear  any  wig.  This  is  a  great  offence  to  the 
whole  order  of  nobles.  And  all  brought  about  by  cursed 
politics,  brr!  Oh,  how  happy  I  am  that  I  need  not  divine 
what  they  are  thinking  of  in  Tyre  or  Nineveh  ;  break  my  head 
over  wages  for  the  army ;  calculate  how  many  people  have 
been  added  to  Egypt  or  taken  from  it,  and  what  rents  must 
be  collected.  It  is  a  terrible  thing  to  say  to  one's  self,  '  My 
tenant  does  not  pay  what  I  need  and  expend,  but  what  the 
increase  of  the  Nile  permits.'  " 

Thus  meditated  the  exquisite  Tutmosis,  while  he  strengthened 
his  anxious  soul  with  golden  wine.  Before  the  boat  had  sailed 
up  to  Memphis,  heavy  sleep  had  mastered  him  in  such  wise 
that  his  slaves  had  to  carry  their  lord  to  the  litter. 

After  the  departure  of  Tutmosis,  which  resembled  a  flight, 
the  heir  fell  to  thinking  deeply ;  he  even  felt  fear. 

Rameses  was  a  sceptic.  As  a  pupil  of  the  priests,  and  a 
member  of  the  highest  aristocracy,  he  knew  that  when  certain 
priests  had  fasted  many  months  and  mortified  their  senses  they 
summoned  spirits,  while  others  spoke  of  spirits  as  a  fancy,  a 
deception.  He  had  seen,  too,  that  Apis,  the  sacred  bull  before 
which  all  Egypt  fell  prostrate,  received  at  times  heavy  blows 
of  a  cane  from  inferior  priests,  who  gave  the  beast  food  and 
brought  cows  to  him. 

He  understood,  finally,  that  his  father,  Rameses  XII.,  who  for 
the  common  crowd  was  a  god  who  lived  through  eternity,  and 
the  all-commanding  lord  of  this  world,  was  really  just  such  a 
person  as  others,  only  a  little  more  weakly  than  ordinary  old 
men,  and  very  much  limited  in  power  by  the  priestly  order. 


104  THE    PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST 

The  prince  saw  all  this,  and  jeered  in  his  soul  and  even  la 
public  at  many  things.  But  all  his  infidelity  fell  before  the 
actual  truth,  —  that  no  one  was  permitted  to  trifle  with  the  titles 
of  the  pharaoh. 

Rameses  knew  the  history  of  his  country,  and  he  remembered 
that  in  Egypt  many  things  were  forgiven  the  mighty.  A  great 
lord  might  ruin  a  canal,  kill  a  man  in  secret,  revile  the  gods 
privately,  take  presents  from  ambassadors  of  foreign  states, 
but  two  sins  were  not  forgiven,  —  the  betrayal  of  priestly  secrets, 
and  treason  to  the  pharaoh.  A  man  who  committed  one  or  the 
other  disappeared,  sometimes  after  a  year,  from  among  his 
friends  and  servants.  But  where  he  had  been  put  or  what 
had  been  done  with  him,  no  one  even  dared  to  mention. 

Rameses  felt  that  he  was  on  an  incline  of  this  sort  from  the 
time  that  the  army  and  the  people  began  to  mention  his  name 
and  speak  of  certain  plans  of  his,  —  changes  in  the  state,  future 
wars.  Thinking  of  this,  the  prince  felt  as  if  a  nameless  crowd 
of  rebels  and  unforturiates  were  pushing  him  violently  to  the 
point  of  the  highest  obelisk,  from  which  he  must  tumble  down 
and  be  crushed  into  jell}7. 

Later  on,  when,  after  the  longest  life  of  his  father  possible, 
he  became  pharaoh,  he  would  have  the  right  and  the  means  to 
accomplish  many  deeds  of  which  no  one  in  Egypt  could  even 
think  without  terror.  But  to-day  he  must  in  truth  have  a  care, 
lest  they  declare  him  a  traitor  and  a  rebel  against  the  funda 
mental  Jaws  of  Egypt.  In  that  state  there  was  one  visible 
ruler,  —  the  pharaoh.  He  governed,  he  desired,  he  thought  for 
all,  and  woe  to  the  man  who  dared  to  doubt  audibly  the  all-might 
of  the  sovereign,  or  mention  plans  of  his  own,  or  even  changes 
in  general. 

Plans  were  made  in  one  place  alone,  —  in  that  hall  where  the 
pharaoh  listened  to  advice  from  his  aiding  council,  and  expressed 
to  it  his  own  opinions.  No  changes  could  come  save  from  that 
place.  There  burned  the  only  visible  lamp  of  political  wisdom, 
the  light  of  which  illuminated  Egypt.  But  touching  that  light, 
it  was  safer  to  be  silent. 

All  these  considerations  flew  through  the  prince's  head  with 
the  swiftness  of  a  whirlwind  while  he  was  sitting  on  the  stone 
bench  under  the  chestnut-tree  in  Sarah's  garden,  and  looking 
at  the  landscape  there  around  him. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  105 

The  water  of  the  Nile  had  fallen  a  little,  and  had  begun  to 
grow  as  transparent  as  a  crystal.  But  the  whole  country  looked 
yet  like  an  arm  of  the  sea  thickly  dotted  with  islands  on  which 
rose  buildings,  gardens,  and  orchards,  while  here  and  there 
groups  of  great  trees  served  as  ornament. 

Around  all  these  islands  were  well-sweeps,  with  buckets  by 
which  bronze-hued  naked  men  with  dirty  breech  clouts  raised 
water  from  the  Nile  and  poured  it  into  higher  reservoirs.  One 
such  place  was  in  the  prince's  mind  especially.  That  was  a 
steep  eminence  on  the  side  of  which  three  men  were  working  at 
three  well-sweeps.  One  poured  water  from  the  river  into  the 
lowest  well;  another  drew  from  the  lowest  and  raised  water  two 
yards  higher  to  a  middle  place;  the  third  raised  water  from  the 
middle  to  the  highest  place.  There  some  people,  also  naked, 
drew  water  in  buckets,  and  irrigated  beds  of  vegetables,  or 
watered  trees  from  sprinkling-pots. 

The  movement  of  the  sweeps  going  down  and  rising,  the  turn 
of  the  buckets,  the  gushing  of  the  pots  was  so  rhythmic  that 
the  men  who  caused  it  might  be  thought  automatons.  No 
one  of  them  spoke  to  his  neighbor,  no  man  changed  place  or 
looked  about  him ;  he  merely  bent  and  rose  in  one  single 
method  from  daylight  until  evening,  from  one  month  to  another, 
and  doubtless  he  had  worked  thus  from  childhood  and  would 
so  work  till  death  took  him. 

"And  creatures  such  as  these,"  thought  the  prince,  as  he 
looked  at  their  toil,  "  desire  me  to  realize  their  imaginings. 
What  change  in  the  state  can  they  wish?  Is  it  that  he  who 
draws  from  the  lowest  well  should  go  to  the  highest,  or  instead 
of  pouring  from  a  bucket  should  sprinkle  trees  with  a  watering- 
pot?" 

Anger  rose  to  his  head,  and  humiliation  crushed  him  because 
he,  the  heir  to  the  throne,  thanks  to  the  fables  of  creatures  like 
those  who  nodded  all  their  lives  over  wells  of  dirty  water,  was 
not  now  the  vice-pharaoh. 

At  that  moment  he  heard  a  low  rustle  among  the  trees,  and 
delicate  hands  rested  on  his  shoulder. 

'-•  Well,  Sarah?  "  asked  the  prince,  without  turning  his  head. 

"  Thou  art  sad,  my  lord.  Moses  was  not  so  delighted  at 
sight  of  the  promised  land  as  I  was  at  those  words  of  thine  : 


106  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

4 1  am  coming  to  live  with  thee.'  But  thou  art  a  day  and  a 
night  here,  and  I  have  not  seen  thy  smile  yet.  Thou  dost  not 
even  speak  to  me,  but  movest  about  in  gloom,  and  at  night 
thou  dost  not  fondle  me,  but  only  sighest." 

"  I  have  trouble." 

"Tell  me  what  it  is.  Grief  is  like  a  treasure  given  to  be 
guarded.  As  long  as  we  guard  it  ourselves  even  sleep  flees 
away,  and  we  find  relief  only  when  we  put  some  one  else  to 
watch  for  us." 

Rameses  embraced  Sarah,  and  seated  her  on  the  bench  at 
his  side. 

"  When  an  earth-tiller,"  said  he,  smiling,  "  is  unable  to 
bring  in  all  his  crops  from  the  field  before  the  overflow,  his  wife 
helps  him.  She  helps  him  to  milk  cows  too,  she  takes  out  food 
to  the  field  for  him,  she  washes  the  man  on  his  return  from 
labor.  Hence  the  belief  has  come  that  woman  can  lighten  man's 
troubles." 

"  Dost  thou  not  believe  this,  lord  ?  " 

"  The  cares  of  a  prince,"  answered  Rameses,  "  cannot  be 
lightened  by  a  woman,  even  by  one  as  wise  and  powerful  as  my 
mother." 

"In  God's  name,  what  are  thy  troubles?  Tell  me,"  insisted 
Sarah,  drawing  up  to  the  shoulder  of  Prince  Rameses.  "Ac 
cording  to  our  traditions,  Adam  left  Paradise  for  Eve ;  and  he 
was  surely  the  greatest  king  in  the  most  beautiful  kingdom. " 

The  prince  became  thoughtful. 

"  Our  sages  also  teach,"  said  he,  "  that  man  has  often  aban 
doned  dignities  for  woman,  but  it  has  not  been  heard  that  any 
man  ever  achieved  something  great  through  a  woman ;  unless 
he  was  a  leader  to  whom  a  pharaoh  gave  his  daughter,  with  a 
great  dowry  and  high  office.  But  a  woman  cannot  help  a  man 
to  reach  a  higher  place  or  even  help  him  out  of  troubles." 

"This  may  be  because  she  does  not  love  as  I  do/'  whispered 
Sarah. 

"  Thy  love  for  me  is  wonderful,  I  know  that.  Never  hast 
thou  asked  for  gifts,  or  favored  those  who  do  not  hesitate  to 
seek  success  even  under  the  beds  of  princes'  favorites.  Thou 
art  milder  than  a  lamb,  and  as  calm  as  a  night  on  the  Nile. 
Thy  kisses  are  like  perfume  from  the  land  of  Punt,  and  thy 


THE    PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  107 

embrace  as  sweet  as  the  sleep  of  a  wearied  laborer.  I  have  no 
measure  for  thy  beauty,  or  words  for  thy  attractions.  Thou  art 
a  marvel  among  women  ;  women's  lips  are  rich  in  trouble  and 
their  love  is  very  costly.  But  with  all  thy  perfection  how  canst 
thou  ease  my  troubles?  Canst  thou  cause  his  holiness  to  order 
a  great  expedition  to  the  East  and  name  me  to  command  it? 
Canst  thou  give  me  the  army  corps  in  Memphis,  for  which  I 
asked,  or  wilt  thou,  in  the  pharaoh's  name,  make  me  governor  of 
Lower  Egypt?  Or  canst  thou  bring  all  subjects  of  his  holiness 
to  think  and  feel  as  I,  his  most  devoted  subject?  " 

Sarah  dropped  her  hands  on  her  knees,  and  whispered  sadly, 
"True,  I  cannot  do  those  things  —  I  can  do  nothing/'' 

"  Thou  canst  do  much.  Thou  canst  cheer  me,"  replied  Ra- 
meses,  smiling.  "  I  know  that  thou  hast  learned  to  dance  and 
sing.  Take  off  those  long  robes,  therefore,  which  become 
priestesses  guarding  fire,  and  array  thyself  in  transparent  muslin, 
as  Phoenician  dancers  do.  And  so  dance  and  fondle  me  as  they." 

Sarah  seized  his  hands  and  cried  with  flaming  eyes,  — 

4 '  Hast  thou  to  do  with  outcasts  such  as  these  ?  Tell  me  — 
let  me  know  my  wretchedness ;  send  me  then  to  my  father, 
send  me  to  our  valley  in  the  desert.  Oh,  that  I  had  never  seen 
thee  in  it !  " 

"  Well,  well,  calm  thyself,"  said  the  prince,  toying  with  her 
hair.  "  I  must  of  course  see  dancers,  if  not  at  feasts,  at  royal 
festivals,  or  during  services  in  temples.  But  all  of  them 
together  do  not  concern  me  as  much  as  thou  alone ;  moreover, 
who  among  them  could  equal  thee?  Thy  body  is  like  a  statue 
of  Isis,  cut  out  of  ivory,  and  each  of  those  dancers  has  some 
defect.  Some  are  too  thick;  others  have  thin  legs  or  ugly 
hands;  still  others  have  false  hair.  Who  of  them  is  like  thee? 
If  thou  wert  an  Egyptian,  all  our  temples  would  strive  to 
possess  thee  as  the  leader  of  their  chorus.  What  do  I  say? 
Wert  thou  to  appear  now  in  Memphis  in  transparent  robes,  the 
priests  would  be  glad  if  thou  wouldst  take  part  in  processions." 

"It  is  not  permitted  us  daughters  of  Judah  to  wear  immodest 
garments." 

"  Nor  to  dance  or  sing?     Why  didst  thou  learn,  then?  " 

"  Our  women  dance,  and  our  virgins  sing  by  themselves  for 
the  glory  of  the  Lord,  but  not  for  the  purpose  of  sowing  fiery 


108  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

seeds  of  desire  in  men's  hearts.  But  we  sing.  Wait,  my 
lord,  I  will  sing  to  thee." 

She  rose  from  the  bench  and  went  toward  the  house.  Soon 
she  returned  followed  by  a  young  girl  with  black,  frightened 
eyes,  who  was  bearing  a  harp. 

"Who  is  this  maiden?"  asked  the  prince.  "But  wait  I 
have  seen  that  look  somewhere.  Ah  !  when  I  was  here  the  last 
time  a  frightened  girl  looked  from  the  bushes  at  me." 

"  This  is  Esther,  my  relative  and  servant,"  answered  Sarah. 
"  She  has  lived  with  me  a  month  now,  but  she  fears  thee,  lord, 
so  she  runs  away  always.  Perhaps  she  looked  at  thee  sometime 
from  out  the  bushes." 

"Thou  mayst  go,  my  child,"  said  the  prince  to  the  maiden, 
who  seemed  petrified,  and  when  she  had  hidden  behind  the 
bushes,  he  asked,  — 

"Is  she  a  Jewess  too?  And  this  guard  of  thy  house,  who 
looks  at  me  as  a  sheep  at  a  crocodile?  " 

"  That  is  Samuel  the  son  of  Esdras  ;  he  also  is  a  relative.  I 
took  him  in  place  of  the  black  man  to  whom  thou  hast  given 
freedom.  But  hast  thou  not  permitted  me  to  choose  my 
servants?" 

"  That  is  true.  And  so  also  the  overseer  of  the  workmen  is 
a  Jew,  for  he  has  a  yellow  complexion  and  looks  with  a  low 
liness  which  no  Egyptian  could  imitate." 

"That,"  answered  Sarah,  "is  Ezechiel,  the  son  of  Reuben, 
a  relative  of  my  father.  Does  he  not  please  thee,  my  lord? 
These  are  all  thy  very  faithful  servants." 

"  Does  he  please  me,"  said  the  prince,  dissatisfied,  drumming 
with  his  fingers  on  the  bench.  "He  is  not  here  to  please  me, 
but  to  guard  thy  property.  For  that  matter,  these  people  do 
not  concern  me.  Sing,  Sarah." 

Sarah  knelt  on  the  grass  at  the  prince's  feet,  and  playing  a 
few  notes  as  accompaniment,  began, — 

"  Where  is  he  who  has  no  care?  Who  is  he  who  in  lying 
down  to  slumber  has  the  right  to  say :  This  is  a  day  that  I  have 
spent  without  sorrow?  Where  is  the  man  who  lying  down  for 
the  grave,  can  say :  My  life  has  passed  without  pain,  without 
fear,  like  a  calm  evening  on  the  Jordan. 

"  But  how  many  are  there  who  moisten  their  bread  with  tears 
daily,  and  whose  houses  are  filled  with  sighing. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  109 

"  A  wail  is  man's  earliest  speech  on  this  earth,  and  a  groan 
his  farewell  to  it.  Full  of  suffering  does  he  come  into  life,  full 
of  sorrow  does  he  go  to  his  resting-place,  and  no  one  asks  him 
where  he  would  like  to  be. 

"  Where  is  that  offspring  of  man  who  has  not  tasted  the 
bitterness  of  being?  Is  it  the  child  which  death  has  snatched 
from  its  mother,  or  is  it  the  babe  whose  mother's  breast  was 
drained  by  hunger  ere  the  little  one  could  place  lips  to  it? 

"  Where  is  the  man  who  is  sure  of  his  fate,  the  man  who  can 
look  with  unfailing  eye  at  the  morrow?  Does  he  who  toils  on 
the  field  know  that  rain  is  not  under  his  power,  and  that  not  he 
shows  its  way  to  the  locust  swarm  ?  Does  the  merchant  who 
gives  his  wealth  to  the  winds,  which  come  he  knows  not  whence, 
and  his  life  to  the  waves  on  that  abyss  which  swallows  all,  and 
returns  nothing? 

"Where  is  the  man  without  dread  in  his  spirit?  Is  it  the 
hunter  who  chases  the  nimble  deer  and  on  the  road  meets  a  lion 
which  mocks  at  his  arrows?  Is  it  the  warrior  who  goes  forth  to 
gain  glory  with  toiling,  and  meets  a  forest  of  sharp  lances  and 
bronze  swords  which  are  thirsting  for  his  life  blood?  Is  it  the 
great  king  who  under  his  purple  puts  on  heavy  armor,  who 
spies  out  with  sleepless  eye  the  treachery  of  overpowering 
neighbors,  and  seizes  with  his  ear  the  rustle  of  the  curtain  lest 
treason  overturn  him  in  his  own  tent? 

"For  this  reason  men's  hearts  in  all  places  and  at  all  times 
are  overflowing  with  sadness.  In  the  desert  the  lion  and  the 
scorpion  are  his  danger,  in  the  cave  lurks  the  dragon,  among 
flowers  the  poisonous  serpent.  In  the  sunshine  a  greedy  neigh 
bor  is  thinking  how  to  decrease  his  land,  in  the  night  the  active 
thief  is  breaking  through  the  door  to  his  granary.  In  childhood 
he  is  incompetent,  in  old  age  stripped  of  strength.  When  full 
of  power,  he  is  surrounded  by  perils,  as  a  whale  is  surrounded  by 
abysses  of  water. 

"Therefore,  O  Lord,  my  Creator,  to  Thee  the  tortured  human 
soul  turns  itself.  Thou  hast  brought  it  into  a  world  full  of 
ambushes,  Thou  hast  grafted  into  it  the  terror  of  extinction. 
Thou  hast  barred  before  it  all  roads  of  peace,  save  the  one  road 
which  leads  to  Thee.  And  as  a  child  which  cannot  walk  grasps 
its  mother's  skirt  lest  it  fall,  so  wretched  man  stretches  forth  his 
hands  toward  Thy  tenderness,  and  struggles  out  of  uncertainty." 


110  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Sarah  was  silent ;  the  prince  fell  into  meditation,  and  then 
said,  - 

"  Ye  Jews  are  a  gloomy  nation.  If  men  in  Egypt  believed  as 
thy  song  teaches,  no  one  would  laugh  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile. 
The  wealthy  would  hide  in  underground  temples  through  terror, 
and  the  people,  instead  of  working,  would  flee  to  caves,  look 
out  and  wait  for  mercy  which  would  never  come  to  them. 

"  Our  world  is  different:  in  it  a  man  may  have  everything, 
but  he  himself  must  do  everything.  Our  gods  help  no  idleness. 
They  come  to  the  earth  only  when  a  hero  dares  a  deed  which  is 
superhuman  and  when  he  exhausts  every  power  present.  Such 
was  the  case  with  Rameses  the  Great  when  he  rushed  among 
two  thousand  five  hundred  hostile  chariots,  each  of  which  carried 
three  warriors.  Only  then  did  Amon  the  eternal  father  reach  his 
hand  down  and  end  the  battle  with  victory.  But  if  instead  of 
fighting  he  had  waited  for  the  aid  of  your  God,  long  ago  would 
the  Egyptians  have  been  moving  along  the  Nile,  each  of  them 
bearing  a  brick  and  a  bucket,  while  the  vile  Hittites  would  be 
masters  going  around  with  clubs  and  papyruscs. 

"  Therefore,  Sarah,  thy  charms  will  scatter  my  sorrows  sooner 
than  thy  song.  If  I  had  acted  as  your  Jewish  song  teaches,  and 
waited  for  divine  assistance,  wine  would  have  flowed  away  from 
my  lips,  and  women  would  have  fled  from  my  household. 

"  Above  all,  I  could  not  be  the  pharaoh's  heir  any  more  than 
my  brothers,  one  of  whom  does  not  leave  his  room  without  lean 
ing  on  two  slaves,  while  the  other  climbs  along  tree  trunks." 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE  next  day  Rairoses  sen4:  his  black  men  with  commands 
to  Memphis,  and  about  midday  came  a  great  boat  toward 
Sarah's  house  from  the  direction  of  the  city.     The  boat  was 
filled    with    Greek    soldiers    in    lofty   helmets    and    gleaming 
breastplates. 

At  command  sixteen  men  armed  with  shields  and  short  darts 
landed  and  stood  in  two  ranks.  They  were  ready  to  march  to 
the  house,  when  a  second  messenger  from  the  prince  detained 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  111 

them.  He  commanded  the  soldiers  to  remain  at  the  shore,  and 
summoned  only  their  leader,  Patrokles. 

They  halted  and  stood  without  movement,  like  two  rows  of 
columns  covered  with  glittering  armor.  After  the  messenger 
went,  Patrokles  in  a  helmet  with  plumes,  wearing  a  purple  tunic 
over  which  he  had  gilded  armor  ornamented  on  the  breast  with 
the  picture  of  a  woman's  head  bristling  with  serpents  instead  of 
hair. 

The  prince  received  the  famous  general  at  the  garden  gate. 
He  did  not  smile  as  usual,  did  not  even  answer  the  low  bow  of 
Patrokles,  but  said  coldly,  — 

44  Worthiness,  tell  the  Greek  warriors  that  I  will  not  review 
them  until  their  lord,  his  holiness,  appoints  me  leader  a  second 
time.  They  have  lost  that  honor  by  uttering  in  dramshops 
shouts  worthy  of  drunkards.  These  shouts  offend  me.  I  call 
attention  also  to  this,  worthiness,  that  the  Greek  regiments  do 
not  show  sufficient  discipline.  In  public  places  the  soldiers  of 
this  corps  discuss  politics  and  a  certain  possible  war.  This 
looks  like  treason  to  the  state.  Only  the  pharaoh  and  members 
of  his  supreme  council  may  speak  of  such  matters.  But  we, 
soldiers  and  servants  of  our  lord,  whatever  position  we  occupy, 
may  only  execute  the  commands  of  our  most  gracious  ruler,  and 
be  silent  at  all  times.  I  beg  thee  to  communicate  these  con 
siderations  to  my  regiments,  and  I  wish  all  success  to  thee, 
worthiness." 

"It  will  be  as  commanded,  worthiness,"  answered  the  Greek. 

He  turned  on  his  heel,  and  standing  erect  moved  with  a  rattle 
toward  the  boat.  He  knew  about  these  discussions  of  the  sol 
diers  in  the  dramshops,  and  understood  straightway  that  some 
thing  disagreeable  had  happened  to  the  heir,  whom  the  troops 
worshipped.  Therefore,  when  he  had  reached  the  handful  of 
armed  men  on  the  bank,  he  assumed  a  very  angry  mien,  and, 
waving  his  hands  with  rage,  cried,  — - 

44  V^iliant  Greek  soldiers!  mangy  dogs,  may  the  leprosy  con 
sume  you  !  If,  from  this  time  on,  any  Greek  mentions  the 
name  of  the  heir  to  the  throne  in  a  dramshop,  I  will  break  a 
pitcher  on  his  head,  cram  the  pieces  down  his  throat,  and  then 
drive  him  out  of  the  regiment!  One  and  another  of  you  will 
herd  swine  for  Egyptian  earth-workers,  and  hens  will  lay  eggs 


112  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

in  your  helmets.  Such  is  the  fate  waiting  for  stupid  soldiers 
who  know  not  how  to  keep  their  tongues  quiet.  And  now  —  to 
the  left!  to  the  rear!  turn!  and  march  to  the  boat,  may  the 
plague  strike  you  !  A  soldier  of  his  holiness  should  drink  first 
of  all  to  the  health  of  the  pharaoh  and  the  prosperity  of  the 
worthy  minister  of  war,  Herhor,  —  may  they  live  through 
eternity !  " 

"  May  they  live  through  eternity  !  "  repeated  the  soldiers. 

All  took  their  places  in  the  boat,  looking  gloomy.  But  when 
near  Memphis  Patrokles  smoothed  out  his  wrinkled  forehead 
and  commanded  them  to  sing  the  song  of  that  priest's  daughter 
who  so  loved  soldiers  that  she  put  a  doll  in  her  bed  and  passed 
the  whole  night  in  the  booth  of  the  sentries.  Keeping  time  to 
this  song,  they  always  marched  best,  and  moved  the  oars  with 
most  nimbleness. 

In  the  evening  another  boat  approached  Sarah's  dwelling,  out 
of  which  came  the  chief  steward  of  the  prince's  property. 

Rarneses  received  this  official  at  the  garden  gate  also.  Per 
haps  he  did  this  through  sternness,  or  perhaps  not  to  constrain 
the  man  to  enter  the  house  of  his  mistress  and  a  Jewess. 

"  I  wished,"  said  the  heir,  "  to  see  thee  and  to  say  that  among 
my  people  certain  improper  conversations  circulate  concerning 
decrease  of  rent,  or  something  of  that  kind.  I  wish  those 
people  to  know  that  I  will  not  decrease  rents.  But  should  any 
man  in  spite  of  warnings  persist  in  his  folly  and  talk  about 
rents,  he  will  receive  blows  of  canes." 

"  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  if  he  paid  a  fine,  —  an  uten  or  a 
drachma,  whatever  is  commanded,  worthiness,"  said  the  chief 
steward. 

"  Yes;  but  the  worst  offender  might  be  beaten." 

"  I  make  bold  to  offer  a  remark,  worthiness,"  said  the  steward 
in  a  low  tone,  inclining  continually,  "that  the  earth-workers, 
roused  by  some  unknown  person,  really  did  talk  for  a  time 
about  decrease  of  rent.  But  some  days  ago  they  ceased  on  a 
sudden." 

"  In  that  case  we  might  withhold  the  blows  of  canes,"  said 
Rameses. 

"  Unless  as  preventive  means,"  put  in  the  steward. 

"  Would  it  not  be  too  bad  to  spoil  the  canes?  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  113 

"  We  shall  never  lack  articles  of  that  sort." 

44  But  with  moderation  in  every  case.  I  do  not  wish  it  to  go 
to  his  holiness  that  I  torture  men  without  need.  For  rebellious 
conversation  we  must  beat  and  take  fines  in  money,  but  when 
there  is  no  cause  for  punishment  we  may  be  magnanimous." 

44  I  understand,"  answered  the  steward,  looking  into  the  eyes 
of  Rameses. 

"  Let  them  cry  out  as  much  as  they  like  if  they  do  not 
whisper  blasphemy." 

These  talks  with  Patrokles  and  the  steward  were  reported 
throughout  Egypt. 

After  the  steward's  departure,  the  prince  yawned  and  looking 
around  with  a  tired  glance,  he  said  to  himself,  — 

"  I  have  done  all  I  could,  but  now,  if  I  can,  I  will  do 
nothing." 

At  that  moment,  from  the  direction  of  the  outhouses,  low 
groans  and  the  sound  of  frequent  blows  reached  the  prince. 
Rameses  turned  his  head,  and  saw  that  the  overseer  of  the 
workmen,  Ezekiel,  son  of  Reuben,  was  beating  some  subordi 
nate  with  a  cane,  pacifying  him  meanwhile,  — 

"  Be  quiet !  be  silent,  low  beast !  " 

The  beaten  workman,  lying  on  the  ground,  closed  his  mouth 
with  his  hand  so  as  not  to  cry. 

At  first  the  prince  rushed  like  a  panther  toward  the  outhouses. 
Suddenly  he  halted. 

44  What  am  I  to  do?  "  whispered  he.  "  This  is  Sarah's  place, 
and  the  Jew  is  her  relative." 

He  bit  his  lips,  and  disappeared  among  the  trees,  the  more 
readily  since  the  flogging  was  finished. 

u  Is  this  the  management  of  the  humble  Jews?  "  thought 
Rameses.  4;  Is  this  the  way?  That  man  looks  at  me  as  a 
frightened  dog  might,  but  he  beats  the  workmen.  Are  the 
Hebrews  all  like  him?" 

And  for  the  first  time  the  thought  was  roused  in  the  prince's 
soul,  that  under  the  guise  of  kindness  Sarah,  too,  might  con 
ceal  falsehood. 

Certain  changes  had  indeed  taken  place  in  Sarah ;  above  all, 
moral  changes. 

From  the  moment  when  she  met  Rameses  in  the  valley  of  the 


U4         THE  PHARAOH  AND  THE  PRIEST 

desert  he  had  pleased  her,  but  that  feeling  grew  silent  imme 
diately  beneath  the  influence  of  the  stunning  news  that  the 
shapely  youth  was  a  son  of  the  pharaoh  and  heir  to  the  throne 
of  Egypt.  When  Tutmosis  bargained  with  Gideon  to  take  her 
to  the  prince's  house,  Sarah  fell  into  a  state  of  bewilderment. 

She  would  riot  renounce  Rameses  for  any  treasure,  nor  at  the 
cost  of  life,  but  one  could  not  say  that  she  loved  him  at  that 
time.  Love  demands  freedom  and  time  to  give  forth  its  most 
beautiful  blossoms ;  neither  freedom  nor  time  had  been  left  to 
her.  She  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  prince  on  a  certain 
day ;  the  following  day  they  took  her  away  almost  without 
consulting  her  wishes,  and  bore  her  to  that  villa  opposite  Mem 
phis.  In  a  couple  of  days  she  became  the  prince's  favorite, 
astonished,  frightened,  not  understanding  what  had  taken 
place  with  her. 

Moreover,  before  she  could  make  herself  used  to  the  new  im 
pressions,  the  Jewess  was  disturbed  by  ill-will  from  surrounding 
people  ;  then  the  visit  of  unknown  ladies ;  finally,  that  attack  on 
the  villa. 

Then,  because  Rameses  took  her  part  and  wished  to  rush  on 
the  rioters,  she  was  still  more  terrified.  She  lost  presence  of 
mind  at  the  thought  that  she  was  in  the  hands  of  a  man  of  such 
power  and  so  violent,  who,  if  it  suited  him,  had  the  right  to 
shed  blood,  to  slay  people. 

Sarah  fell  into  despair  for  the  moment :  it  seemed  to  her  that 
she  would  go  mad.  She  heard  the  terrible  commands  of  the 
prince  who  summoned  the  servants  to  arms.  But  at  that  very 
moment  a  slight  thing  took  place,  one  little  word  was  heard 
which  sobered  Sarah,  and  gave  a  new  turn  to  her  feelings. 

The  prince,  thinking  that  she  was  wounded,  drew  the  bandage 
from  her  head ;  but  when  he  saw  the  bruise,  he  cried,  — 

"That  is  only  a  blue  spot!  How  that  blue  spot  changes 
the  face !  " 

At  these  words  Sarah  forgot  pain  and  fear.  New  alarm 
seized  her :  so  she  had  changed  to  such  a  degree  that  it  aston 
ished  the  prince,  but  he  was  only  astonished. 

The  blue  spot  disappeared  in  a  couple  of  days,  but  feelings 
unknown  up  to  that  time  remained  in  Sarah's  soul  and  increased 
there.  She  began  to  be  jealous  of  the  prince,  and  to  fear  that 
he  would  reject  her. 


THE   PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST  115 

And  still  another  anxiety  tortured  the  Jewess.  She  felt  her 
self  a  servant,  a  slave  in  respect  to  Rameses.  She  was  and 
wished  to  be  his  faithful  servant,  his  devoted  slave,  as  insepa 
rable  as  his  shadow,  but  at  the  same  time  she  desired  that  he, 
at  least  when  he  fondled  her,  should  not  treat  her  as  though  he 
were  lord  and  master. 

She  was  his  indeed,  but  he  was  hers  also.  Why  does  he  not 
show,  then,  that  he  belonged  to  her,  even  in  some  degree?  But 
with  every  word  and  motion  he  makes  her  understand  that  a  cer 
tain  gulf  is  between  them.  What  kind  of  gulf  ?  Has  she  not  held 
him  in  her  embraces?  Has  he  not  kissed  her  lips  and  bosom? 

A  certain  day  the  prince  came  to  her  with  a  dog.  He  stayed 
only  a  couple  of  hours;  but  during  that  entire  interval  the  dog 
lay  at  his  feet  in  Sarah's  place,  and  when  she  wished  to  sit 
there  the  dog  growled.  And  the  prince  laughed  and  thrust  his 
fingers  into  the  hair  of  that  unclean  creature,  as  he  had  into 
her  hair.  And  the  dog  looked  into  the  prince's  eyes  just  as  she 
had,  —  with  this  difference,  perhaps,  that  he  looked  with  more 
confidence. 

She  could  not  pacify  herself,  and  she  hated  the  clever  beast 
which  was  taking  a  part  of  the  tenderness  due  to  her,  paying  no 
attention  whatever  to  her,  and  bearing  itself  with  an  intimacy 
towards  its  lord  that  she  did  not  dare  to  claim.  She  would 
have  been  unable  to  have  such  an  indifferent  mien,  or  to  look  in 
another  direction  if  the  prince's  hand  had  rested  on  her  head. 

Not  long  before  this  incident  the  prince  mentioned  dancers  a 
second  time.  Then  Sarah  burst  out  angrily,  — 

"  How  did  he  permit  himself  to  be  familiar  with  those  naked, 
shameless  women  ?  And  Jehovah  looking  down  from  high  heaven 
did  not  hurl  His  thunders  at  those  monstrous  creatures ! " 

It  is  true  that  Rameses  told  her  that  she  was  dearer  than  all 
else  to  him,  but  these  words  did  not  pacify  Sarah;  they  only 
produced  this  effect,  —  that  she  determined  not  to  think  of 
aught  beyond  her  love. 

What  would  come  on  the  morrow?  Never  mind.  And 
when  at  the  feet  of  the  prince  she  sang  that  hymn  about  those 
sufferings  which  pursue  mankind  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave, 
she  described  in  it  the  state  of  her  own  soul,  and  her  last  hope, 
which  was  Jehovah. 


116  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE  PRIEST 

That  day  Rameses  was  with  her;  hence  she  had  enough,  she 
had  all  the  happiness  which  life  could  give.  But  just  there 
began  for  Sarah  the  greatest  bitterness. 

The  prince  lived  under  one  roof  with  her,  he  walked  with  her 
in  the  garden,  and  sometimes  went  out  on  the  Nile  in  a  boat 
with  her.  But  he  was  not  more  accessible  by  the  width  of  one 
hair  than  when  he  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  within 
the  limits  of  the  pharaoh's  palace. 

He  was  with  her,  but  his  mind  was  in  some  other  place, 
Sarah  could  not  even  divine  where.  He  embraced  her,  or  toyed 
with  her  hair,  but  he  looked  toward  the  city,  at  those  immense 
many-colored  pylons  of  the  pharaoh's  palace,  or  at  some 
unknown  object. 

At  times  he  did  not  even  answer  her  questions,  or  he  looked 
at  her  suddenly  as  if  roused  from  sleep,  or  as  if  he  wondered 
that  he  saw  her  there  beside  him. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THUS  seemed  those  moments  of  approach  between  Sarah 
and  her  princely  lover,  which  were  rare  enough  withal. 
For  after  he  had  given  those  commands  to  Patrokles  and  the 
steward,  Rameses  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  day  away  from 
the  villa,  generally  in  a  boat  or  sailing  on  the  Nile.  He  caught 
with  a  net  fish  which  swam  in  thousands  in  the  blessed  river,  or 
he  went  into  swamps,  and  hidden  among  lofty  lotus  stems 
brought  down  with  arrows  wild  birds,  which  circling  in  noisy 
flocks  were  as  numerous  as  flies  are.  But  even  at  those  times 
ambitious  thoughts  did  not  desert  him ;  so  he  turned  the  hunt 
ing  into  a  kind  of  predicting  or  soothsaying.  More  than  once, 
when  he  saw  a  flock  of  yellow  geese  upon  the  water,  he  drew 
his  bow  and  said,  u  If  I  hit  I  shall  be  like  Rameses  the  Great.'' 

The  arrow  made  a  low  whistle,  and  the  stricken  bird,  flutter 
ing  its  wings,  gave  out  cries  so  painful  that  there  was  a  move 
ment  in  the  whole  swampy  region.  Clouds  of  geese,  ducks, 
and  storks  rose  in  the  air,  and  making  a  great  circle  above  their 
dying  comrade,  dropped  down  to  other  places. 

When  there  was  silence  again,  the  prince  pushed  his  boat  far- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  117 

thcr,  with  caution  guiding  himself  by  the  movement  of  reeds 
or  the  broken  calls  of  birds,  and  when  in  the  green  growth  he 
saw  a  spot  of  clear  water  and  a  new  flock,  he  drew  his  bow 
again,  and  said,  — 

u  If  I  hit  I  shall  be  pharaoh;  if  I  miss  —  " 

This  time  the  arrow  struck  the  water,  and  bounding  a  number 
of  times  along  its  surface,  disappeared  among  lotuses.  The 
excited  prince  sentx  more  and  more  arrows,  killing  birds  or 
only  frightening  flocks  of  them.  From  the  villa  they  knew 
where  he  was  by  the  noisy  cloud  of  birds  which  rose  from  time 
to  time  and  circled  above  the  boat  in  which  he  was  sailing. 

When  toward  evening  he  returned  to  the  villa  wearied,  Sarah 
waited  on  the  threshold  with  a  bronze  basin,  a  pitcher  of  light 
wine,  and  a  garland  of  roses.  The  prince  smiled  at  her,  stroked 
her  face,  but  looking  into  her  eyes,  which  were  full  of  tender 
ness,  he  thought,  — 

"  Would  she  beat  Egyptian  people,  like  her  relatives  who 
look  frightened  all  the  time?  Oh,  my  mother  is  right  not  to 
trust  Jews,  though  Sarah  may  be  different  from  others." 

Once,  returning  unexpectedly,  he  saw  in  the  space  before 
the  villa  a  crowd  of  naked  children  playing  joyously.  All  were 
yellow,  and  at  sight  of  him  they  vanished  with  cries  like  wild 
geese  from  a  swampy  meadow.  Before  he  reached  the  terrace 
they  were  gone,  not  a  trace  was  left. 

"  Who  are  those  little  things,"  asked  he,  "who  rushed  away 
from  me  ?  " 

"  Those  are  children  of  my  servants,"  replied  Sarah. 

"Of  Jews?" 

"  Of  my  brothers." 

"  Gods,  what  a  numerous  people  !  "  laughed  Barneses.  u  And 
who  is  that  again?  "  added  he,  pointing  to  a  man  who  looked 
timidly  from  beyond  the  wall. 

"  That  is  Aod,  son  of  Barak,  my  relative.  He  wants  to 
serve  thee,  lord.  May  I  take  him  ?  " 

The  prince  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  This  is  thy  place,"  answered  he;  "  take  those  who  please 
thee.  But  if  these  people  increase  so,  they  will  soon  master 
Memphis." 

"  Thou  canst  not  endure  my  brethren,"  whispered  Sarah, 
as  she  dropped  to  his  feet  frightened. 


118  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  prince  looked  at  her  with  astonishment. 

"I  do  not  even  think  of  them,"  answered  he,  proudly. 

These  little  happenings,  which  fell  on  Sarah's  soul  like  drops 
of  fire,  did  not  change  Rameses  with  regard  to  her.  He  was 
kind  and  as  fond  as  he  had  been,  though  his  eyes  turned  more 
frequently  to  the  other  bank  of  the  river,  and  rested  on  the 
mighty  pylons  of  his  father's  palace. 

Soon  he  discovered  that  others  were  ^earning  because  he 
was  in  a  banishment  of  his  own  choosing.  A  certain  day  from 
the  opposite  shore  a  stately  royal  barge  pushed  out  into  the 
river ;  it  crossed  the  Nile  from  Memphis,  and  then  circled  near 
the  prince's  villa,  so  near  that  Rameses  could  recognize  the 
persons  in  it.  In  fact  he  recognized  beneath  the  purple  bal 
dachin  his  mother  among  court  ladies,  and  opposite,  on  a  low 
stool,  the  vice-pharaoh,  Herhor.  They  did  not  look  toward  the 
villa,  it  is  true,  but  the  prince  divined  that  they  saw  him. 

"Ha  !  ha  !  "  thought  he.  "  My  worthy  mother  and  his  wor 
thiness  the  minister  would  be  glad  to  entice  me  hence  before  his 
holiness  returns  to  Memphis." 

The  mouth  Tobi  (the  end  of  October  and  beginning  of 
November)  came.  The  Nile  had  fallen  a  distance  equalling 
the  stature  of  a  man,  and  one-half  in  addition,  uncovering  daily 
new  strips  of  black  clammy  earth.  Wherever  the  water  with 
drew  a  narrow  plough  appeared  drawn  by  two  oxen.  Behind 
the  plough  went  a  naked  ploughman,  at  the  side  of  he  oxen  a 
driver  with  a  short  club,  and  behind  him  a  sower,  who,  wading 
to  his  ankles  in  earth,  carried  wheat  in  an  apron,  and  scattered 
it  almost  in  handfuls. 

The  most  beautiful  season  of  the  year  was  beginning  in 
Egypt,  —  the  winter.  Heat  did  not  go  beyond  70°  Fahrenheit ; 
the  earth  was  covered  quickly  with  emerald  green,  from  out 
which  sprang  narcissus  and  violets.  The  odor  of  them  came 
forth  oftener  and  oftener  amid  the  odor  of  earth  and  water. 

A  number  of  times  the  barge  bearing  the  worthy  lady  Niko- 
tris  and  the  vice-pharaoh  Herhor  appeared  near  Sarah's 
dwelling.  Each  time  the  prince  saw  his  mother  conversing 
with  the  minister  joyously,  and  convinced  himself  that  they  re 
frained  ostentatiously  from  looking  toward  him,  as  if  to  show 
indifference. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  119 

"  Wait! "  whispered  he,  in  anger,  "  I  will  show  you  that  life 
does  not  annoy  me,  either." 

So  when  one  day,  shortly  before  sunset,  the  queen's  gilded 
barge  appeared  with  a  purple  tent  having  ostrich  plumes  on 
each  of  its  four  corners,  Raineses  gave  command  to  prepare  a 
boat  for  two  persons,  and  told  Sarah  that  he  would  sail  with  her. 

"O  Jehovah!"  cried  she,  clasping  her  hands.  "  But  thy 
mother  is  there,  and  the  viceroy  ! " 

"But  in  this  boat  will  be  the  heir  to  the  throne.  Take  tby 
harp,  Sarah." 

"  And  the  harp,  too?"  cried  Sarah.  "  But  if  her  worthiness 
were  to  speak  to  thee!  I  should  throw  myself  into  the  river." 

"  Be  not  a  child,"  replied  Rameses,  laughing.  "  My  mother 
and  his  worthiness  love  songs  immensely.  Thou  mayest  even 
win  their  favor  if  thou  sing  some  splendid  song  of  the  Hebrews. 
Let  there  be  love  in  it." 

"  I  know  no  song  of  that  kind,"  answered  Sarah,  in  whom 
the  prince's  words  had  roused  hope  of  some  sort.  Her  song 
might  please  those  powerful  rulers,  and  then  what? 

On  the  royal  barge  they  saw  that  the  heir  to  the  throne  was 
sitting  in  a  simple  boat  and  rowing. 

"  Dost  thou  see,  worthiness,"  whispered  the  queen  to  the 
minister,  "  that  he  is  rowing  toward  us  with  his  Jewess?  " 

4 'The  heir  has  borne  himself  with  such  correctness  toward 
his  warriors  and  his  people,  and  has  shown  so  much  compunc 
tion  in  withdrawing  from  the  limits  of  the  palace,  that  his 
mother  may  forgive  small  errors,"  answered  Herhor. 

"  Oh,  if  he  were  not  sitting  in  that  boat,  I  would  give  com 
mand  to  break  it!  "  said  the  worthy  lady. 

"For  what  reason?"  asked  the  minister.  "The  prince 
would  be  no  descendant  of  high  priests  and  pharaohs  if  he 
did  not  break  through  restraints  which  the  law,  alas,  puts  on 
him,  or  perhaps  our  mistaken  customs.  He  has  given  proof  in 
every  case  that  in  serious  junctures  he  is  able  to  command  him 
self.  He  is  even  able  to  recognise  his  errors,  —  a  rare  power 
arid  priceless  in  an  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt.  The  very 
fact  that  the  prince  wishes  to  rouse  our  curiosity  with  his 
favorite  shows  that  the  position  in  which  he  finds  himself  pains 
him ;  besides,  his  reasons  are  among  the  noblest." 


120  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

u  But  the  Jewess !  "  whispered  the  lady,  crushing  her  feather 
fan  between  her  fingers. 

"  At  present  I  am  quite  at  rest  regarding  her,"  continued  Her- 
hor.  "  She  is  shapely,  but  dull;  she  never  thinks  of  using  in 
fluence  on  the  prince,  nor  could  she  do  so.  Shut  up  in  a  cage 
which  is  not  over-costly,  she  takes  no  gifts,  and  will  not  even  see 
any  one.  In  time,  perhaps,  she  might  learn  to  make  use  of  her 
position  even  to  the  extent  of  decreasing  the  heir's  treasury  by 
some  talents.  Before  that  day  comes,  however,  Rameses  will 
be  tired  of  her." 

"  May  the  all-knowing  Amon  speak  through  thy  mouth," 
said  the  lady. 

"The  prince,  I  am  sure  of  this,  has  not  grown  wild  over  a 
favorite,  as  happens  often  to  young  lords  in  Egypt.  One  keen, 
intriguing  woman  may  strip  a  man  of  property  and  health,  nay, 
bring  him  to  the  hall  of  judgment.  The  prince  is  amused  with 
her  as  a  grown-up  man  might  be  amused  with  a  slave  girl. 
And  Sarah  is  pregnant." 

"  Is  that  true?  "  cried  the  queen.     "  How  dost  thou  know?  " 

"It  is  not  known  to  his  worthiness  the  heir,  or  even  to 
Sarah,"  said  Herhor,  smiling.  "  We  must  know  everything. 
This  secret,  however,  was  not  difficult  to  get  at.  With  Sarah 
is  her  relative  Tafet,  an  incomparable  gossip." 

"  Have  they  summoned  a  physician  already?" 

"  Sarah  knows  nothing  of  this,  I  repeat,  but  the  worthy 
Tafet.  from  fear  lest  the  prince  might  grow  indifferent  to  her 
foster  child,  would  be  glad  to  twist  the  neck  of  this  secret. 
But  we  do  not  let  her.  That  will  be  the  prince's  child  also." 

"But  if  it  is  a  son?  Thou  knowest  that  he  may  make 
trouble,"  put  in  the  lady. 

"All  is  foreseen,"  replied  Herhor.  ."If  the  child  is  a 
daughter,  we  will  give  her  a  dowry  and  the  education  proper  for 
young  ladies  of  high  station.  If  a  son,  he  will  become  a  Jew  —  " 

"  Oh,  my  grandson,  a  Jew !  " 

"  Do  not  take  thy  heart  too  soon  from  him.  Our  envoys 
declare  that  the  people  of  Israel  are  beginning  to  desire  a  king. 
Before  the  child  matures  their  desires  will  ripen,  and  then  — 
we  may  give  them  a  ruler,  and  of  good  blood  indeed." 

"  Thou  art  like  an  eagle  which  takes  in  East  and  West  at  a 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  121 

glance,"  said  the  queen,  eying  the  minister  with  amazement. 
"1  feel  that  my  repulsion  for  this  maiden  begins  to  grow 
weaker." 

"The  least  drop  of  the  pharaoh's  blood  should  raise  itself 
above  nations,  like  a  star  above  the  earth,"  added  Herhor. 

At  that  moment  the  heir's  boat  moved  at  a  few  tens  of  paces 
from  the  royal  barge,  and  the  queen,  shielded  by  her  fan, 
looked  at  Sarah  through  its  feathers. 

"  In  truth  the  girl  is  shapely,"  whispered  Queen  Nikotris. 

"Thou  art  saying  those  words  for  the  second  time,  worthy 
lady." 

"  So  thou  hast  noted  that?  "  laughed  her  worthiness. 

Herhor  dropped  his  eyes. 

In  the  boat  was  heard  a  harp,  and  Sarah  began  a  hymn,  with 
trembling  voice,  — 

"•  How  great  is  Jehovah,  O  Israel!  how  great  is  Jehovah,  thy 
God." 

"  A  most  beautiful  voice,"  whispered  the  queen. 

The  high  priest  listened  with  attention. 

"  His  days  have  no  beginning,"  sang  Sarah,  "and  His  dwell 
ing  has  no  limit.  The  eternal  heavens  change  beneath  His  eye, 
like  a  garment  which  a  man  puts  on  his  body  and  then  casts 
away  from  him.  The  stars  flash  up,  and  are  quenched,  like 
sparks  from  fuel,  and  the  earth  is  like  a  brick  which  a  traveller 
touches  once  with  his  foot  while  going  ever  farther. 

"  How  great  is  thy  Lord,  O  Israel!  There  is  no  being  who 
can  say  to  Him,  '  Do  this! '  there  is  no  womb  which  could  have 
given  birth  to  Him.  He  created  the  bottomless  deeps  above 
which  He  moves  when  He  wishes.  He  brings  light  out  of  dark 
ness,  and  from  the  dust  of  the  earth  He  creates  living  things 
which  have  voices.  . 

"  For  Him  savage  lions  are  as  locusts,  the  immense  elephant 
He  looks  on  as  nothing,  before  Him  the  whale  is  as  weak  as  an 
infant. 

"  His  tricolored  bow  divides  the  heavens  into  two  parts  and 
rests  on  the  ends  of  the  earth  plain.  Where  are  the  gates 
which  could  equal  Him  in  loftiness?  Nations  are  in  terror 
at  the  thunder  of  His  chariot,  and  there  is  naught  beneath 
the  sun  which  could  stand  His  flashing  arrows. 


122  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

11  His  breath  is  the  north  wind  at  midnight,  which  freshens 
trees  when  withering,  His  anger  is  like  the  chamsin  which 
burns  what  it  touches. 

44  When  He  stretches  His  hands  above  the  waters,  they  are 
petrified.  He  pours  the  sea  into  new  places,  as  a  woman 
pours  out  leaven.  He  rends  the  earth  as  if  it  were  old  linen, 
and  clothes  in  silvery  snow  the  naked  tops  of  mountains. 

44  In  a  grain  of  wheat  He  hides  one  hundred  other  grains,  and 
causes  birds  to  incubate.  From  the  drowsy  chrysalis  He  leads 
to  life  a  golden  butterfly,  and  makes  men's  bodies  wait  in  tombs 
until  the  day  of  resurrection." 

The  rowers,  absorbed  in  the  song,  raised  their  oars,  and  the 
purple  barge  dropped  slowly  down  with  the  sweep  of  the  river. 
All  at  once  Herhor  rose,  and  commanded,  — 

"  Turn  now  toward  Memphis  !  " 

The  oars  fell ;  the  barge  turned  where  it  stoodj  and  raised  the 
water  with  noise.  After  it  followed  Sarah's  hymn  decreasing 
gradually,  — 

44  He  sees  the  movement  of  hearts,  the  silent  hidden  ways  on 
which  pass  the  innermost  thoughts  in  men's  breasts.  But  no 
man  can  gaze  into  His  heart  and  spy  out  His  purposes. 

"  Before  the  gleam  of  His  garments  mighty  spirits  hide  their 
faces.  Before  His  glance  the  gods  of  great  cities  and  nations 
turn  aside  and  shrink  like  withering  leaves. 

"  He  is  power,  He  is  life,  He  is  wisdom.  He  is  thy  Lord, 
thy  God,  O  Israel!" 

44  Why  command,  worthiness,  to  turn  away  our  barge?" 
asked  the  worthy  Nikotris. 

44  Lady,  dost  thou  know  that  hymn?"  asked  Herhor,  in  a 
language  understood  by  priests  alone.  "  That  stupid  girl  is 
singing  in  the  middle  of  the  Nile  a  prayer  permitted  only  in 
the  most  secret  recesses  of  our  temples." 

44  Is  that  blasphemy  then?" 

44  There  is  no  priest  in  the  barge  except  me,"  replied  the 
minister.  44 1  have  not  heard  the  hymn,  and  if  I  had  I  should 
forget  it.  Still  I  am  afraid  that  the  gods  will  lay  hands  on  that 
girl  yet." 

1 4  But  whence  does  she  know  that  awful  prayer,  for  Rameses 
could  not  have  taught  it  to  her  ?  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  123 

44  The  prince  is  not  to  blame.  But  forget  not,  lady,  that  the 
Jews  have  taken  from  our  Egypt  many  such  treasures.  That 
is  why,  among  all  nations  on  earth,  we  consider  them  alone  as 
sacrilegious." 

The  queen  seized  the  hand  of  the  high  priest. 

"  But  my  son  —  will  no  evil  strike  him?  "  whispered  she,  look 
ing  into  his  eyes. 

41 1  say,  worthiness,  that  no  evil  will  happen  to  any  one.  I 
heard  not  the  hymn,  and  I  know  nothing.  The  prince  must  be 
separated  from  that  Jewess." 

"But  separated  mildly;  is  that  not  the  way?"  asked  the 
mother. 

44  In  the  mildest  way  possible  and  the  simplest,  but  separation 
is  imperative.  It  seemed  to  me,"  continued  the  high  priest,  as 
if  to  himself,  "  that  I  foresaw  everything.  Everything  save  an 
action  for  blasphemy,  which  threatens  the  heir  while  he  is  with 
that  strange  woman." 

Herhor  thought  awhile,  and  added,  — 

44  Yes,  worthy  lady  !  It  is  possible  to  laugh  at  many  of  our 
prejudices  ;  still  the  son  of  a  pharaoh  should  not  be  connected 
with  a  Jewess." 


CHAPTER   XVII 

SINCE  the  evening  when  Sarah  sang  in  the  boat,  the  royal 
barge  had  not  appeared  on  the  Nile,  and  Prince  Rameses 
was  annoyed  in  real  earnest. 

The  month  Mechir  (December)  was  approaching.  The  waters 
decreased,  the  land  extended  more  widely  each  day,  the  grass 
became  higher  and  thicker,  and  in  the  grass  flashed  up  flowers 
of  the  most  varied  hues  and  of  incomparable  odor.  Like 
islands  in  a  green  sea  appeared,  in  the  course  of  a  single  day, 
flowery  places,  as  it  were  white,  azure,  yellow,  rosy,  or  many- 
colored  carpets  from  which  rose  an  intoxicating  odor.  Still  the 
prince  was  wearied,  and  even  feared  something.  From  the  day 
of  his  father's  departure  he  had  not  been  in  the  palace,  and  no 
one  from  the  palace  had  come  to  him,  save  Tutmosis,  who 
since  the  last  conversation  had  vanished  like  a  snake  in  the 


124  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

grass.  Whether  they  respected  the  prince's  seclusion,  or  de 
sired  to  annoy  him,  or  simply  feared  to  pay  him  a  visit  because 
he  had  been  touched  by  disfavor,  Rameses  had  no  means  of 
knowing. 

11  My  father  may  exclude  me  from  the  throne,  as  he  has 
my  elder  brothers,"  thought  the  heir  sometimes ;  and  sweat 
came  out  on  his  forehead,  while  his  feet  became  cold. 

"  What  would  he  do  in  that  case?  " 

Moreover  Sarah  was  ill,  thin,  pale,  her  great  eyes  sank ;  at 
times  she  complained  of  faintuess  which  attacked  her  in  the 
morning. 

"  Surely  some  one  has  bewitched  the  poor  thing,"  groaned 
the  cunning  Tafet,  whom  the  prince  could  not  endure  for  her 
chattering  and  very  bad  management. 

A  couple  of  times,  for  instance,  the  heir  noticed  that  in  the 
evening  Tafet  sent  off  to  Memphis  immense  baskets  with  food, 
linen,  even  vessels.  Next  day  she  complained  in  heaven-pierc 
ing  accents  that  flour,  wine,  and  even  vessels  were  lacking. 
Since  the  heir  had  come  to  the  villa  ten  times  more  of  various 
products  had  been  used  there  than  formerly. 

"I  am  certain,"  thought  Rameses,  "that  that  chattering 
termagant  robs  me  for  her  Jews,  who  vanish  in  the  daytime  but 
are  prowling  around  iu  the  night,  like  rats  in  the  nastiest 
corners !" 

The  prince's  only  amusement  in  these  days  was  to  look  at  the 
date  harvest.  A  naked  man  took  his  place  at  the  foot  of  a  high 
palm  without  side  branches,  surrounded  the  trunk  and  himself 
with  a  circular  rope  which  resembled  the  hoop  of  a  barrel. 
Then  he  raised  himself  on  the  tree  by  his  heels,  his  whole  body 
bent  backward,  but  the  hoop-like  rope  held  him  by  squeezing 
his  body  to  the  tree.  Next  he  shoved  the  flexible  hoop  up  the 
trunk  some  inches,  raised  himself  by  his  heels  again,  then 
shoved  the  rope  up.  In  this  way  he  climbed,  exposed  mean 
while  to  the  peril  of  breaking  his  neck,  till  he  reached  the  top, 
where  grew  a  crown  of  great  leaves  and  dates. 

The  prince  was  not  alone  when  he  saw  these  gymnastics ; 
Jewish  children  also  were  spectators.  At  first  there  was  no  trace 
of  them.  Then  among  bushes  and  from  beyond  the  wall  curly 
heads  and  black  gleaming  eyes  appeared.  Afterward,  when 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  125 

they  saw  that  the  prince  did  not  drive  them  away,  these  chil 
dren  came  out  each  from  a  hiding-place  and  approached  the  tree 
gradually.  The  most  daring  among  the  girls  picked  up  a  beauti 
ful  date  which  she  brought  to  Rameses.  One  of  the  boys  ate 
the  smallest  date,  and  then  the  children  began  to  eat  and  to 
give  the  prince  fruit.  At  first  they  brought  him  the  best,  then 
inferior  dates,  finally  some  that  were  spoilt  altogether. 

The  future  ruler  of  the  world  fell  to  thinking,  and  said  to 
himself,  — 

"  They  crawl  in  at  all  points,  and  will  treat  me  always  in 
this  way:  they  will  give  the  good  as  a  bait,  and  what  is  spoiled 
out  of  gratitude." 

He  rose  and  walked  away  gloomily  ;  but  the  children  of  Israel 
rushed,  like  a  flock  of  birds,  at  the  labor  of  the  Egyptian,  who 
high  above  their  heads  was  singing  unmindful  of  his  bones  and 
of  this,  that  he  was  harvesting  not  for  his  own  use. 

Sarah's  undiscovered  disease,  her  frequent  tears,  her  vanish 
ing  charms,  and  above  all  the  Jews,  who,  ceasing  to  hide, 
managed  the  place  with  increasing  tumult,  disgusted  Rameses 
to  the  utmost  degree  with  that  beautiful  corner.  He  sailed  no 
more  in  a  boat,  he  neither  hunted  nor  watched  the  date  harvest, 
but  wandered  gloomily  through  the  garden,  or  looked  from  his 
roof  at  the  palace.  He  would  never  go  back  to  that  palace 
unless  summoned,  and  now  he  thought  of  a  trip  to  his  lauds 
near  the  sea,  in  Lower  Egypt. 

In  such  a  state  of  mind  was  he  found  by  Tutmosis,  who  on  a 
certain  day  came  in  a  ceremonial  barge  to  the  heir  with  a 
summons  from  the  pharaoh. 

"  His  holiness  is  returning  from  Thebes,  and  wishes  the  heir 
to  go  forth  and  meet  him." 

The  prince  trembled,  he  grew  pale  and  crimson,  when  he 
read  the  gracious  letter  of  his  lord  and  ruler.  He  was  so  moved 
that  he  did  not  notice  his  adjutant's  new  immense  wig,  which 
gave  out  fifteen  different  perfumes,  he  did  not  see  his  tunic  and 
mantle,  more  delicate  than  mist,  nor  his  sandals  with  gold  rings 
as  ornaments. 

After  some  time  Rameses  recovered,  and  inquired  without 
looking  at  Tutmosis,  — 

u  Why  hast  them  not  been  here  for  such  a  period?  Did  the 
disfavor  into  which  I  have  fallen  alarm  thee  ?  " 


126  THE   PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Gods !  "  cried  the  exquisite.  "When  wert  thou  in  dis 
favor,  and  in  whose  ?  Every  courier  of  his  holiness  inquired 
for  thy  health ;  the  worthy  lady,  Nikotris,  and  his  worthiness 
Herhor  have  sailed  toward  ttys  villa  repeatedly,  thinking  that 
thou  wouldst  make  a  hundred  steps  toward  them  after  they  had 
made  a  couple  of  thousand  toward  thee.  I  say  nothing  of  the 
troops.  In  time  of  review  the  warriors  of  thy  regiments  are 
as  silent  as  palm-trees,  and  do  not  go  from  the  barracks.  As 
to  the  worthy  Patrokles,  he  drinks  and  curses  all  day  from 
vexation." 

So  the  prince  had  not  been  in  disfavor,  or  if  he  had  been  the 
disfavor  was  ended.  This  thought  acted  on  Rameses  like  a 
goblet  of  good  wine.  He  took  a  bath  quickly,  anointed  his 
body,  put  on  fresh  linen,  a  new  kaftan,  a  helmet  with  plumes, 
and  then  went  to  Sarah. 

Sarah  screamed  when  she  saw  the  prince  arrayed  thus.  She 
rose  up,  and  seizing  him  around  the  neck,  whispered,  — 

"Thou  art  going,  my  lord!  Thou  wilt  not  come  back  to 
me." 

"Why  not?"  wondered  the  heir.  "Have  I  not  gone  away 
often  and  returned  afterward?  " 

"I  remember  thee  dressed  in  just  this  way  —  over  there 
in  our  valley,"  said  Sarah.  "  Oh,  where  are  those  hours ! 
So  quickly  have  they  passed,  and  so  long  is  it  since  they 
vanished." 

"  But  I  will  return  and  bring  the  most  famous  physician." 

"  What  for?"  inquired  Tafet.  "  She  is  well,  my  dear  chick 
—  she  needs  only  rest.  But  Egyptian  physicians  would  bring 
real  sickness." 

The  prince  did  not  look  at  the  talkative  woman. 

"This  was  my  pleasantest  mouth  with  thee,"  said  Sarah, 
nestling  up  to  Rameses,  "  but  it  has  not  brought  happiness." 

The  trumpets  sounded  on  the  royal  barge,  repeating  a  signal 
given  higher  up  on  the  river. 

Sarah  started. 

"  Dost  thou  hear,  lord,  that  terrible  outburst?  Thou  hearest 
and  smilest,  and,  woe  to  me,  thou  art  tearing  away  from  my 
embraces.  When  trumpets  call  nothing  can  hold  thee,  least  of 
all  thy  slave,  Sarah." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  127 

"  Wouldst  thou  have  me  listen  forever  to  the  cackling  of 
hens  in  the  country?"  interrupted  the  prince,  now  impatient. 
•'  Be  well,  and  wait  for  me  joyously. " 

Sarah  let  him  go  from  her  grasp,  but  she  had  such  a  mourn 
ful  expression  that  Rameses  grew  mild  and  stroked  her. 

"  Only  be  calm.  Thou  fearest  the  sound  of  our  trumpets. 
But  were  they  ill-omened  the  first  day?" 

"My  lord,"  answered  Sarah,  "  I  know  that  over  there  they 
will  keepthee,  so  grant  me  this  one,  this  last  favor.  I  will  give 
thee,"  continued  she,  sobbing,  "  a  cage  of  pigeons.  They  were 
hatched  out  and  reared  here  ;  hence,  as  often  as  thou  remember- 
est  thy  servant,  open  the  cage  and  set  one  of  them  free ;  it  will 
bring  me  tidings  of  thee,  and  I  will  kiss  and  fondle  it  as  — 
as  —  But  go  now  ! " 

The  prince  embraced  her  and  went  to  the  barge,  telling  his 
black  attendant  to  wait  for  the  pigeons. 

At  sight  of  the  heir,  drums  and  fifes  sounded,  and  the  garri 
son  raised  a  loud  shout  of  welcome.  When  he  found  himself 
among  warriors,  the  prince  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  stretched 
out  his  arms,  like  a  man  liberated  from  bondage. 

"  Well,"  said  he  to  Tutmosis,  "  women  have  tormented  me, 
and  those  Jews  —  O  Cyrus  !  command  to  roast  me  on  a  slow 
fire  at  once,  but  put  me  not  in  the  country  a  second  time." 

"So  it  is,"  confirmed  Tutmosis;  "love  is  like  honey.  It 
must  be  taken  by  sips,  a  man  must  not  swim  in  it.  Brr! 
shudders  pass  over  me  when  I  think  that  thou  hast  passed 
nearly  two  months  fed  on  kisses  in  the  evening,  dates  in  the 
morning,  and  asses'  milk  at  midday." 

"  Sarah  is  a  very  good  girl,"  said  Rameses. 

"  I  do  not  speak  of  her,  but  of  those  Jews  who  have  settled 
down  at  that  villa  like  papyrus  in  swamp  land.  Dost  thou  see, 
they  are  looking  out  at  thee  yet,  and  perhaps  are  sending  greet 
ings,"  said  the  flatterer. 

The  prince  turned  to  another  side  with  displeasure,  and 
Tutmosis  winked  joyfully  at  the  officers,  as  if  to  tell  them 
that  Rameses  would  not  leave  their  society  very  soon  this 
time. 

The  higher  they  ascended  the  Nile  the  denser  on  both  banks 
were  spectators,  the  more  numerous  were  boats  on  the  river, 


128  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

and  the  more  did  flowers,  garlands,  and  bouquets  float  down  ; 
these  had  been  thrown  at  the  barge  of  the  pharaoh. 

About  five  miles  above  Memphis  there  were  multitudes  of 
people  with  banners,  with  statues  of  gods,  and  with  music  ;  an 
immense  roar  was  heard,  like  the  sound  of  a  tempest. 

"  There  is  his  holiness!  "  cried  Tutmosis,  delighted. 

One  spectacle  was  presented  to  the  eyes  of  the  onlookers : 
in  the  middle  of  a  broad  bend  in  the  river  sailed  the  great  barge 
of  the  pharaoh,  rising  in  front  like  the  breast  of  a  swan.  At 
the  right  and  left  sides  of  it,  like  two  giant  wings,  pushed  for 
ward  the  countless  boats  of  his  subjects,  and  in  the  rear,  like 
a  rich  fan,  stretched  the  retinue  of  the  ruler  of  Egypt. 

Every  one  living  shouted,  sang,  clapped  hands,  and  threw 
flowers  at  the  feet  of  the  lord  whom  no  one  even  saw.  It  was 
enough  that  under  that  gilded  canopy  and  those  ostrich  plumes 
waved  a  ruddy  blue  flag,  denoting  that  the  pharaoh  was 
present. 

The  people  in  the  boats  were  as  if  drunk,  the  people  on  the 
shore  as  if  mad.  Every  moment  some  boat  struck  or  over 
turned  a  boat  and  some  man  fell  into  the  water,  out  of  which 
luckily  the  crocodiles  had  fled,  frightened  by  the  unparalleled 
uproar.  On  the  banks  men  ran  into  one  another,  for  no  one 
paid  heed  to  his  neighbor,  his  father,  or  his  child,  but  fixed  his 
wild  eyes  on  the  gilded  beak  of  the  barge  and  the  tent  of  the 
pharaoh.  Even  people  who  were  trampled,  whose  ribs  the 
wild  crowd  broke  stupidly,  and  whose  joints  they  put  out,  had 
no  cry  save  this,  — 

"  May  he  live  through  eternity,  O  our  ruler !  —  Shine  on, 
thou  the  sun  of  Egypt !  " 

The  madness  of  greeting  spread  to  the  barge  of  Rameses: 
officers,  soldiers,  and  oarsmen  pressed  into  one  throng  and 
strove  to  outshout  one  another.  Tutmosis,  forgetting  the  heir 
to  the  throne,  clambered  up  on  the  prow,  and  almost  flew  into 
the  water. 

Meanwhile  a  trumpet  sounded  from  the  pharaoh's  barge,  and 
soon  after  one  answered  from  the  barge  of  Rameses.  A  second 
signal,  and  the  barge  of  the  heir  touched  the  great  barge  of  the 
pharaoh. 

Some  official  called  to  Rameses.     From  barge  to  barge  they 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  129 

extended  a  gangway  of  cedar  with  carved  railings,  and  the 
prince  found  himself  next  in  the  embrace  of  his  father. 

The  presence  of  the  pharaoh,  or  the  storm  of  shouts  roaring 
about  him,  so  stunned  Prince  Rameses  that  he  could  not  utter 
a  syllable.  He  fell  at  his  father's  feet,  and  the  lord  of  the 
world  pressed  the  heir  to  his  sacred  bosom. 

A  moment  later  the  side  walls  of  the  tent  rose,  and  all  the 
people  on  both  banks  of  the  Nile  saw  their  ruler  on  a  throne, 
and  on  the  high  step  of  it  Rameses  kneeling,  with  his  head  on 
the  breast  of  his  father. 

Such  silence  followed  that  the  rustling  of  banners  on  the 
barges  was  audible.  Then  on  a  sudden  burst  forth  one  im 
mense  roar,  greater  than  all  which  had  preceded.  With  this 
the  Egyptian  people  honored  the  reconciliation  of  son  and 
father;  they  greeted  their  present,  and  saluted  their  future 
ruler. 

If  any  man  had  reckoned  on  dissensions  in  the  sacred  family 
of  the  pharaoh,  he  might  convince  himself  then  that  the  new 
royal  branch  held  to  its  parent  trunk  firmly. 

His  holiness  looked  very  ill.  After  the  tender  greeting  of 
his  son,  he  commanded  him  to  sit  at  the  side  of  the  throne. 

"  My  soul  was  rushing  forth  toward  thee,  Rameses,"  said  he, 
"  and  all  the  more  ardently  the  better  were  the  tidings  which  I 
had  of  thee.  To-day  I  see  not  only  that  thou  hast  the  heart  of 
a  lion,  but  that  thou  art  a  man  full  of  prudence,  who  knows 
how  to  estimate  his  own  acts,  who  is  able  to  restrain  himself, 
and  who  feels  for  the  interests  of  Egypt." 

When  the  prince,  filled  with  emotion,  was  silent  and  kissed 
his  father's  feet,  the  pharaoh  continued,  — 

"  Thou  hast  done  well  to  renounce  command  of  the  Greek 
regiments,  because  from  this  day  the  corps  in  Memphis  is 
thine,  thou  art  its  commander." 

"  My  father!  "  whispered  the  heir,  trembling. 

"  Besides,  in  Lower  Egypt,  which  is  open  on  three  sides  to 
attacks  of  hostile  nations,  I  need  a  wise,  active  man,  who  will 
watch  all  things  round  him,  weigh  them  well  in  his  heart,  and 
act  promptly.  For  this  reason  I  appoint  thee  my  lieutenant  in 
that  half  of  the  kingdom." 

Abundant  tears  flowed  from  the  prince's  eyes.     With  those 


130  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

tears  he  bade  farewell  to  his  youth ;  he  greeted  power,  to 
which  his  soul  had  turned  for  years  with  uncertainty  and 
longing. 

"  I  am  now  weak  and  wearied,"  said  the  ruler,  "  and  were  it 
not  for  anxiety  touching  thy  youth  and  the  future  of  Egypt.  I 
would  this  day  beg  my  deathless  ancestors  to  call  me  to  their 
glory.  Each  day  is  for  me  more  difficult,  and  therefore, 
Rameses,  thou  wilt  begin  to  share  the  burden  of  rule  with  me.  As 
a  hen  teaches  her  chicks  to  search  out  grains  of  corn  and  hide 
before  the  hawk,  so  I  will  teach  thee  that  toilsome  art  of  ruling 
a  state  and  watching  the  devices  of  enemies.  May  thou  fall  on 
them  in  time,  like  an  eagle  on  timid  partridges." 

The  pharaoh's  barge  and  its  well-ordered  retinue  had  de 
scended  to  a  point  opposite  the  palace.  The  wearied  ruler  took 
a  seat  in  his  litter,  and  at  that  moment  Herhor  approached 
Rameses. 

"  Permit  me,  worthy  prince,"  said  he,  "  to  be  the  earliest 
among  those  who  are  delighted  with  thy  elevation.  May  thou 
lead  the  army  with  as  much  success  as  thou  shalt  govern  the 
most  important  part  of  the  state  to  the  glory  of  Egypt." 

Rameses  pressed  his  hand  firmly. 

"  Didst  thou  do  this,  O  Herhor?  "  asked  he. 

"  It  belonged  to  thee,"  replied  the  minister. 

"  Thou  hast  my  gratitude,  and  wilt  see  that  it  is  of  value." 

"Thou  hast  rewarded  me  already  in  speaking  thus,"  replied 
Herhor. 

The  prince  wished  to  depart ;  Herhor  detained  him. 

"  A  brief  word.  Be  careful,  O  heir,  that  one  of  thy  women, 
Sarah,  does  not  sing  religious  hymns." 

When  Rameses  looked  at  him  with  astonishment,  he  added, — 

"  During  our  sail  on  the  Nile  that  maiden  sang  our  most 
sacred  hymn,  a  hymn  to  which  only  the  pharaoh  and  high 
priests  have  the  right  to  listen.  Poor  child  !  she  might  have 
suffered  for  her  skill  and  for  her  ignorance  of  what  she  was 
singing." 

"Then  has  she  committed  sacrilege?"  inquired  Rameses,  in 
confusion. 

"Yes,  unconsciously,"  answered  Herhor.  "  It  is  lucky  that 
I  was  the  only  man  who  understood  it,  and  my  decision  is  that 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  131 

between  that  song  and  our  hymn  the  resemblance  is  remote. 
In  every  case  let  her  never  repeat  it." 

"  Well,  and  should  she  purify  herself?"  asked  the  prince. 
"  Will  it  suffice  her,  as  a  foreign  woman,  if  she  gives  thirty 
cows  to  the  temple  of  Isis?" 

"Yes,  let  her  give  them,"  replied  Herhor,  with  a  slight 
grimace.  "  The  gods  are  not  offended  by  gifts." 

"  Do  thou,  noble  lord,"  said  Barneses,  "  be  pleased  to  accept 
this  miraculous  shield,  which  I  received  from  my  sacred 
grandfather." 

«I?  —  the  shield  of  Amenhotep?"  exclaimed  the  minister, 
with  emotion.  "  Am  I  worthy  of  it?" 

44  By  thy  wisdom  thou  art  equal  to  my  grandfather,  and  thou 
wilt  equal  him  in  position." 

Herhor  made  a  low  bow  in  silence.  That  golden  shield  set 
with  precious  stones,  besides  its  great  value  in  money,  had  more 
over  the  virtue  of  an  amulet;  hence  it  was  a  regal  present. 

But  the  prince's  words  might  have  the  loftier  meaning  that 
Herhor  would  equal  Ameuhotep  in  position.  Amenhotep  had 
been  the  father-in-law  of  a  pharaoh.  Had  the  heir  decided 
already  to  marry  Herhor' s  daughter? 

That  was  the  fond  dream  of  Queen  Nikotris  and  the  minister. 
But  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  Rameses  in  speaking  of  the 
future  dignities  of  Herhor  had  not  thought  in  the  least  of  marry 
ing  his  daughter,  but  of  giving  him  new  offices,  of  which  there 
was  a  multitude  at  the  court  and  in  the  temples. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

FROM  the  day  that  he  became  viceroy  of  Lower  Egypt  a 
life  unparalleled  in  troubles  set  in  for  Rameses,  —  such  a 
life  as  he  had   not  even   imagined,  though  born  and  reared  in 
the  pharaoh's  palace. 

People  simply  tortured  him;  his  torturers  were  persons  who 
had  interests  of  various  kinds  and  who  were  of  various  social 
classes. 

On  the  very  first  day,  at  sight  of  the  throngs  of  people,  who 
crowded  and  pushed  one  another  with  eagerness,  trampled  his 


132  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

lawns,  broke  his  trees,  and  injured  even  the  wall  which  enclosed 
his  villa,  the  heir  demanded  a  guard  for  protection.  But  on 
the  third  day  he  was  forced  to  flee  from  his  own  dwelling  to  the 
precincts  of  the  palace  proper,  where,  because  of  numerous 
sentries  and  above  all  because  of  high  walls,  access  to  him  was 
made  difficult. 

During  the  ten  days  which  preceded  his  departure,  repre 
sentatives  of  all  Egypt,  if  not  of  the  whole  world  of  that  period, 
passed  before  the  eyes  of  the  new  viceroy. 

First  of  all  were  admitted  great  personages.  Hence  to  con 
gratulate  him  came  the  high  priests  of  temples,  ministers, 
ambassadors,  Phoenician,  Greek,  Hebrew,  Assyrian,  Nubian, 
men  whose  dresses  even  he  could  not  remember.  Next  came 
the  chiefs  of  neighboring  provinces,  judges,  secretaries,  the 
higher  officers  of  the  army  corps  in  Memphis,  and  landowners. 

These  people  desired  nothing,  they  simply  expressed  their 
delight  at  honor  shown  him.  But  the  prince,  while  listening  to 
these  persons  from  morning  till  midday  and  from  midday  till 
evening,  felt  confusion  in  his  head,  and  a  quivering  in  all  his 
members. 

After  these  came  representatives  of  the  lower  classes  with 
gifts :  merchants  bringing  gold,  foreign  stuffs,  amber,  fruits, 
and  perfumes.  Then  bankers  and  men  who  loaned  money  for 
interest.  Further,  architects  with  plans  for  new  buildings, 
sculptors  with  projects  for  statues  and  carvings  in  relief, 
masons,  potters,  makers  of  ordinary  and  ornamental  furniture, 
blacksmiths,  founders,  tanners,  wine-merchants,  weavers,  even 
dissectors  who  opened  the  bodies  of  the  departed. 

The  procession  of  those  men  rendering  homage  had  not 
finished  when  an  army  of  petitioners  approached  the  viceroy. 
Invalids,  widows,  and  orphans  of  officers  requested  pensions ; 
noble  lords  required  court  offices  for  their  sons.  Engineers 
presented  new  methods  of  irrigating  Egypt ;  physicians  offered 
means  against  diseases  of  all  sorts ;  soothsayers  offered  horo 
scopes.  Relatives  of  prisoners  petitioned  to  lessen  punishments ; 
those  condemned  to  death  begged  for  life ;  the  sick  implored 
the  heir  to  touch  them,  or  to  bestow  on  them  his  spittle. 

Finally,  beautiful  women  announced  themselves,  the  mothers 
of  stately  daughters  begging  the  heir  humbly  but  insistently  to 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  133 

receive  them  into  his  mansion.  Some  indicated  the  amount  of 
the  pension  demanded,  praising  their  virginity  and  their  talents. 

After  ten  days  of  looking  every  moment  at  new  persons  and 
faces,  and  hearing  petitions  which  only  the  possession  of  a 
world  and  divine  power  to  dispense  it  could  satisfy,  Prince 
Rameses  was  exhausted.  He  could  not  sleep ;  he  was  so 
excited  that  the  buzz  of  a  fly  pained  his  nerves,  and  at  moments 
he  did  not  understand  what  people  said  when  they  talked  to 
him. 

In  this  position  Herhor  came  again  to  assist  the  viceroy.  He 
commanded  to  inform  the  wealthy  that  the  prince  would  not 
receive  any  more  persons  on  questions  of  interest ;  and  against 
common  people,  who,  in  spite  of  repeated  invitations  to  dis 
perse,  were  still  waiting,  he  sent  a  company  of  Numidians  with 
clubs.  These  succeeded  with  incomparably  more  ease  than 
Rameses  in  meeting  popular  wishes,  for  before  an  hour  had 
passed  the  petitioners  had  vanished  from  the  square,  like  mist, 
while  one  and  another  of  them  for  a  couple  of  succeeding  days 
poured  water  on  their  heads,  or  other  bruised  parts  of  their 
bodies. 

After  this  trial  of  supreme  power  the  prince  felt  profound 
contempt  for  men  and  became  apathetic.  He  lay  two  days  on 
a  couch  with  his  hands  beneath  his  head  gazing  vacantly  at  the 
ceiling.  He  did  not  wonder  that  his  sacred  father  passed  his 
time  at  the  altars  of  the  gods,  but  he  could  not  understand  how 
Herhor  was  able  to  manage  the  avalanche  of  business,  which, 
like  a  storm,  not  only  surpassed  the  strength  of  a  man,  but 
might  even  crush  him. 

44  How  carry  out  plans  in  this  case  when  a  throng  of  petitions 
fetter  our  will,  devour  our  thoughts,  drink  our  blood?  At  the 
end  of  ten  days  I  am  sick,  at  the  end  of  a  year  I  should  be  an 
idiot.  In  this  office  it  is  impossible  to  carry  out  any  plan  ;  a 
man  can  just  defend  himself  from  madness." 

He  was  so  alarmed  by  his  weakness  in  the  position  of  ruler 
that  he  summoned  Herhor,  and  with  a  complaining  voice  told 
of  his  suffering. 

The  statesman  listened  with  a  smile  to  the  complaints  of  the 
young  steersman  of  the  ship  of  state,  and  at  last  said  in 
answer,  — 


134  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Knowest  thou,  lord,  that  this  immense  palace  in  which  we 
dwell  was  reared  by  one  architect,  named  Senebi,  who  more 
over  died  before  it  was  finished?  And  to  a  certainty  thou  wilt 
understand  how  this  famous  architect  could  carry  out  his  plan 
without  weariness  and  be  always  in  a  cheerful  temper." 

"  I  am  curious." 

"Well,  he  did  not  do  everything  himself;  he  did  not  hew 
the  beams  or  cut  the  stones,  he  did  not  make  the  bricks,  he  did 
not  carry  them  to  the  scaffolding.  He  did  not  lay  them  into  the 
wall  and  fasten  them  together.,  He  only  drew  the  plan,  and 
moreover  he  had  assistants.  But  thou,  prince,  hadst  the  wish 
to  do  all  things  thyself,  to  listen  in  person  and  transact  every 
business.  That  goes  beyond  human  strength." 

"  How  should  I  do  otherwise  if  among  petitioners  there  are 
some  who  have  suffered  without  cause,  or  if  there  is  unrewarded 
service?  Of  course  the  foundation  of  the  state  is  justice." 

"  How  many  canst  thou  hear  in  a  day  without  weariness?" 
asked  Herhor. 

11  Well,  twenty." 

"  Thou  art  happy.  I  hear  at  the  most  six  or  ten,  but  they 
are  not  interested  in  the  petitions,  —  they  are  chief  secretaries, 
overseers,  and  ministers.  These  men  report  to  me  no  details, 
only  the  most  important  things  that  are  done  in  the  army,  on 
the  estates  of  the  pharaoh,  in  questions  of  religion,  in  the 
courts,  in  the  provinces,  and  touching  movements  of  the  Nile. 
Therefore  they  report  no  trivial  matter,  because  each  man  be 
fore  he  comes  to  me  must  hear  ten  inferior  secretaries.  Each 
inferior  secretary  and  overseer  collected  information  from  ten 
sub-secretaries  and  sub-inspectors,  and  they  in  their  turn  have 
heard  reports  from  ten  officials  who  are  under  them.  In  this 
manner  I  and  his  holiness  speaking  with  only  ten  people  daily 
know  all  that  is  most  important  in  a  hundred  thousand  points 
of  Egypt  and  the  world  beyond  it. 

"  The  watchman  in  charge  of  one  part  of  a  street  in  Memphis 
sees  only  a  few  houses.  A  decurion  of  ten  policemen  knows  the 
whole  street,  a  centurion  a  division  of  the  city,  the  chief  knows 
all  the  city.  The  pharaoh  stands  above  them  all,  as  if  he  were 
standing  on  the  highest  pylon  of  the  temple  of  Ptah.  and  sees 
not  only  Memphis,  but  the  cities,  Sochem,  On,  Cheran,  Turra, 


m  p 


THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST  135 

Tetani,  with  their  suburbs,  and  a  portion  of  the  western 
desert. 

"  From  that  height  his  holiness  is  unable,  it  is  true,  to  see 
the  people  who  are  wronged,  or  those  who  are  unrewarded,  but 
he  is  able  to  see  the  crowd  of  laborers  who  have  collected  with 
out  work.  He  cannot  see  warriors  in  the  dramshops,  but  he 
can  know  what  regiment  is  exercising.  He  cannot  see  what  a 
given  earth-tiller  or  citizen  is  preparing  for  dinner,  but  he  can 
see  a  fire  beginning  in  a  given  quarter  of  the  city. 

"This  order  in  the  state,"  continued  Herhor,  with  growing 
animation,  "  is  our  strength  and  glory.  Snofru,  a  pharaoh 
of  the  first  dynasty,  asked  a  certain  priest  what  monument  he 
should  rear  to  himself. 

"  '  Draw  on  the  earth,  O  lord,'  replied  the  priest,  '  a  square, 
and  put  on  it  six  million  unhewn  stones ;  they  will  represent  the 
people.  On  that  foundation  place  sixty  thousand  hewn  stones ; 
they  will  be  the  lower  officials.  On  them  place  six  thousand 
polished  stones  ;  they  will  be  thy  higher  officials.  On  these  put 
sixty  covered  with  carvings;  those  will  be  thy  most  intimate 
counsellors  and  chief  leaders,  and  on  the  summit  place  one 
monolith  with  its  pedestal  and  the  golden  image  of  the  sun; 
that  will  be  thyself.' 

"  The  Pharaoh  Snofru  followed  that  advice.  Thus  rose  the 
oldest  pyramid,  the  step  pyramid,  a  tangible  image  of  our 
state  ;  from  that  pyramid  all  others  had  their  origin.  Those 
are  immovable  buildings,  from  the  summits  of  which  the  rim  of 
the  world  is  visible,  and  they  will  be  a  marvel  to  the  remotest 
generations. 

"In  this  system  resides  our  superiority  over  all  neighbors. 
The  Ethiopians  were  as  numerous  as  we,  but  their  king  himself 
took  care  of  his  own  cattle,  and  beat  his  own  subjects  with  a 
club ;  he  knew  not  how  many  subjects  he  had,  nor  was  he  able 
to  collect  them  when  our  troops  invaded  his  country.  There 
was  not  a  united  Ethiopia,  but  a  great  crowd  of  unorganized 
people.  For  that  reason  they  are  our  vassals  at  present. 

"  The  Prince  of  Libya  judges  all  disputes  himself,  especially 
among  the  wealthy,  and  gives  so  much  time  to  them  that  he 
cannot  attend  to  his  own  business.  So  at  his  side  whole  bands 
of  robbers  rise  up  ;  these  we  exterminate. 


136  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

u  Were  there  in  Phoenicia  a  single  ruler  who  knew  what  was 
happening  and  who  commanded  in  all  parts,  that  country  would 
not  pay  us  one  uten  of  tribute.  But  what  a  happiness  for  us 
that  the  kings  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon  have  each  only  one 
minister,  and  are  tormented  with  the  onrush  of  business  as  thou 
art  this  day.  They  wish  to  see,  judge,  and  command  every 
thing;  hence  the  affairs  of  their  states  are  entangled  for  a 
century  to  come.  But  were  some  insignificant  scribe  to  go 
from  Egypt  to  those  kings,  explain  their  errors  of  manage 
ment,  and  give  them  our  official  system,  our  pyramid,  in  a  year's 
time  Judaea  and  Phoenicia  would  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Assyrians,  and  in  a  few  tens  of  years  powerful  armies,  coming 
from  the  East  and  the  North  by  land  and  by  sea,  would  hurl 
themselves  on  us,  armies  which  we  might  not  be  able  to 
vanquish." 

"  Therefore  let  us  fall  on  them  to-day  and  take  advantage  of 
their  want  of  order,"  cried  Rameses. 

"We  are  not  cured  yet  of  previous  victories,"  answered 
Herhor,  coldly ;  and  he  began  to  take  leave  of  the  viceroy. 

"Have  victories  weakened  us?"  burst  out  the  heir.  "Or 
have  we  not  brought  home  treasures  ?  " 

"  But  does  not  the  axe  with  which  we  cut  wood  become 
blunted  ?  "  inquired  Herhor ;  and  he  went  out. 

The  prince  understood  that  the  great  minister  wished  peace  at 
all  costs,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was  chief  of  the  armies. 

u  We  shall  see,"  whispered  Rameses  to  himself. 

A  couple  of  days  before  his  departure  Rameses  was  sum 
moned  to  his  holiness.  The  pharaoh  was  sitting  in  an  arm 
chair  in  a  marble  hall ;  no  other  person  was  present,  and  the 
four  entrances  were  guarded  by  Nubian  sentries. 

At  the  side  of  the  royal  armchair  was  a  stool  for  the  prince, 
and  a  small  table  covered  with  documents  written  on  papyrus. 
On  the  walls  were  colored  bas-reliefs  showing  the  occupations 
of  field-workers,  and  in  the  corners  of  the  hall  were  ungraceful 
statues  of  Osiris  smiling  pensively. 

When  the  prince  at  command  of  his  father  sat  down,  his 
holiness  spoke  to  him,  — 

"Here,  my  son,  are  thy  documents  as  leader  and  viceroy. 
Well,  have  the  first  days  of  power  wearied  thee  ?  " 


THE    PHARAOH   AND  THE    PRIEST  137 

"  In  thy  service,  holiness,  I    shall  find  strength." 

"Flatterer!"  said  the  pharaoh,  smiling.  "Remember  that 
I  do  not  require  overwork  on  thy  part.  Amuse  thyself;  youth 
needs  recreation.  This  does  not  mean,  however,  that  thou  art 
not  to  have  important  affairs  to  manage." 

44 1  am  ready." 

"  First  I  will  disclose  my  cares  to  thee.  Our  treasury  has  a 
bad  aspect;  the  inflow  of  revenue  decreases  yearly,  especially 
in  Lower  Egypt,  and  expenditures  are  rising." 

The  pharaoh  fell  to  thinking. 

u  Those  women  —  those  women,  Rameses,  — they  swallow  up 
the  wealth,  not  of  mortal  men  only,  but  my  wealth.  I  have 
some  hundreds  of  them,  and  each  woman  wishes  to  have  as 
many  maids  as  possible,  as  many  dressmakers,  barbers,  slaves, 
—  slaves  for  her  litter,  slaves  for  her  chamber,  —  horses,  oars 
men,  even  her  own  favorites  and  their  children  —  Little  chil 
dren!  When  I  was  returning  from  Thebes  one  of  those  ladies, 
whom  I  do  not  even  remember,  ran  into  my  road  and,  showing 
a  sturdy  boy  of  three  years,  desired  that  I  should  designate  for 
him  a  property,  since  he  was,  as  she  said,  a  son  of  mine.  My 
son,  and  three  years  of  age.  Canst  thou  understand  this? 
The  affair  was  simple.  I  could  not  argue  with  a  woman,  be 
sides,  in  such  a  delicate  question.  But  for  a  man  of  noble 
birth  it  is  easier  to  be  polite  than  find  money  for  every  fancy  of 
that  sort." 

He  shook  his  head  and  continued,  — 

"  Meanwhile  incomes  since  the  beginning  of  my  reign  have 
decreased  one-half,  especially  in  Lower  Egypt.  I  ask  what 
this  means.  They  answer :  people  have  grown  poor,  many 
citizens  have  disappeared,  the  sea  has  covered  a  certain  extent 
of  land  on  the  north,  and  the  desert  on  the  east,  we  have  had 
a  number  of  bad  harvests;  in  a  word,  tale  follows  tale  while 
the  treasury  becomes  poorer  and  poorer.  Therefore  I  beg  thee 
to  explain  this  matter.  Look  about,  learn  to  know  well-informed 
men  who  are  truthful,  and  form  of  them  an  examining  com 
mission.  When  they  begin  to  report,  trust  not  over- much  to 
papyrus,  but  verify  here  and  there  in  person.  I  hear  that  thou 
hast  the  eye  of  a  leader ;  if  that  be  true,  one  glance  will  tell  thee 
how  accurate  the  statements  of  the  commission  are.  But 


138  THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST 

hasten  not  in  giving  thy  opinion,  and  above  all,  do  not  herald 
it.  Note  down  every  weighty  conclusion  which  conies  to  thy 
head  on  a  given  da}r,  and  when  a  few  days  have  passed  re- 
examine  that  question  and  note  it  down  a  second  time.  This 
will  teach  thee  caution  in  judgment  and  accuracy  in  grasping 
subjects." 

u  It  will  be  as  thou  commandest,"  replied  the  prince. 

u  Another  mission  which  thou  must  accomplish  is  truly  diffi 
cult.  Something  is  happening  in  Assyria  which  begins  to  alarm 
my  government.  Our  priests  declare  that  beyond  the  Northern 
sea  stands  a  pyramidal  mountain  covered  with  green  at  its  base 
and  with  snow  on  the  summit.  This  mountain  has  marvellous 
qualities.  After  many  years  of  quiet  it  begins  all  at  once  to 
smoke,  roar,  and  tremble,  and  then  it  hurls  out  as  much  liquid 
fire  as  there  is  water  in  the  Nile.  This  fire,  which  flows  down 
its  sides  in  various  directions  and  over  an  immense  stretch  of 
country,  ruins  the  labor  of  earth-tillers. 

"  Well,  Assyria  is  a  mountain  of  that  sort.  For  whole  ages 
calm  and  quiet  reign  in  that  region,  till  all  on  a  sudden  a  tem 
pest  bursts  out  there,  great  armies  pour  forth  from  it  and  anni 
hilate  peaceful  neighbors.  At  present  around  Nineveh  and 
Babylon  seething  is  audible  :  the  mountain  is  smoking.  Thou 
must  learn  therefore  how  far  that  smoke  indicates  an  outburst, 
and  think  out  means  of  precaution." 

"  Shall  I  be  able  to  do  so  ?  "  asked  the  prince,  in  a  low  voice. 

' '  Thou  must  learn  to  observe.  If  thou  hast  the  wish  to  learn 
anything  well,  be  not  satisfied  with  the  witness  of  thy  own  eyes, 
but  strengthen  thyself  with  the  aid  of  a  number  of  others. 
Confine  not  thyself  to  the  judgment  of  Egyptians  alone,  for 
each  people,  each  man  has  a  special  way  of  looking  at  subjects, 
and  neither  one  grasps  the  whole  truth  in  any  question.  Listen 
therefore  to  what  the  Phoenicians,  the  Hebrews,  the  Hittites, 
and  the  Egyptians  think  of  the  Assyrians,  and  weigh  in  thy 
own  heart  with  care  all  that  agrees  in  their  judgments  concern 
ing  Assyria.  If  all  tell  thee  that  danger  is  coming  from  that 
point,  thou  wilt  know  that  it  is  coming;  but  if  different  men 
speak  variously,  be  on  thy  guard  also,  for  wisdom  commands 
us  to  look  for  less  good  and  more  evil." 

"  Thy  speech  is  like  that  of  the  gods,"  whispered  the  heir  of 
Egypt. 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  139 

"  I  am  old,  and  from  the  height  of  the  throne  things  are  seen 
of  which  mortal  men  have  not  even  a  suspicion.  Wert  thou  to 
inquire  of  the  sun  what  he  thinks  of  this  world's  affairs,  he  would 
tell  thee  things  still  more  curious." 

"Among  the  people  from  whom  I  am  to  gain  knowledge  of 
Assyria,  thou  hast  not  mentioned  the  Greeks,  O  father,"  put 
in  Rameses. 

The  pharaoh  nodded,  and  said  with  a  kindly  smile,  — 

"The  Greeks!  oh,  the  Greeks  !  A  great  future  is  in  store 
for  that  people.  In  comparison  with  us  they  are  in  childhood, 
but  what  a  spirit  is  in  them ! 

"  Dost  remember  my  statue  made  by  a  Greek  sculptor  ? 
That  is  my  second  self,  a  living  person !  I  kept  it  a  month  in 
the  palace,  but  at  last  I  gave  it  to  the  temple  in  Thebes.  Wilt 
thou  believe,  fear  seized  me  lest  that  stone  I  should  rise  from 
its  seat  and  claim  one-half  of  the  government.  What  a  dis 
order  would  rise  then  in  Egypt ! 

"  The  Greeks!  Hast  thou  seen  the  vases  which  they  make, 
the  palaces  which  they  build?  From  that  clay  out  there  and 
from  stone  something  comes  that  delights  my  old  age  and  for 
bids  me  to  think  of  my  feebleness. 

"And  their  language!  O  gods,  it  is  music  and  sculpture 
and  painting.  In  truth,  I  say  that  if  Egypt  could  ever  die  as  a 
man  dies,  the  Greeks  would  take  all  its  property.  Nay  more, 
they  would  persuade  the  world  that  everything  done  by  us  was 
their  work,  and  that  we  never  existed.  And  still  they  are  only 
the  pupils  of  our  primary  schools,  for,  as  thou  knowest,  we  have 
no  right  to  communicate  the  highest  knowledge  to  foreigners." 

"  Still,  father,  it  seems  that  thou  hast  no  trust  in  the 
Greeks." 

"  No,  for  they  are  peculiar;  one  can  trust  neither  Greek  nor 
Phoenician.  The  Phoenician,  when  he  wishes,  sees  and  will  tell 
thee  genuine  truth  of  Egypt,  but  thou  wilt  never  know  when 
he  is  telling  it.  The  Greek,  as  simple  as  a  child,  would  tell  the 
truth  always,  but  he  is  never  able. 

"The  Greeks  look  at  the  world  in  a  manner  different  alto 
gether  from  our  way.  In  their  wonderful  eyes  everything 
glitters,  assumes  colors  and  changes,  as  the  sky  and  the  water 
of  Egypt.  How  then  could  we  rely  on  their  judgment? 


140  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  In  the  days  of  the  Theban  dynasty,  far  away  toward  the 
north,  was  the  little  town  of  Troy.  We  have  in  Egypt  twenty 
thousand  as  large  as  it.  Various  Greek  vagrants  laid  siege  to 
that  hamlet,  and  so  annoyed  its  few  inhabitants  that  after  ten 
years  of  trouble  they  burned  their  little  fortress  and  moved 
to  other  places.  An  every-day  robber  narrative  1  Meanwhile 
just  see  what  songs  the  Greeks  sing  of  the  Trojan  combats. 
We  laugh  at  those  wonders  and  heroisms,  for  our  government 
had  accurate  information  of  events  there.  We  see  the  lies 
which  strike  any  one,  but  still  we  listen  to  those  songs,  as  a 
child  does  to  tales  which  its  nurse  tells,  and  we  cannot  tear 
ourselves  free  from  them. 

u  Such  are  the  Greeks :  born  liars,  but  fascinating;  yes,  and 
valiant.  Every  man  of  them  would  rather  die  than  tell  truth. 
They  do  not  lie  for  profit,  as  do  the  Phoenicians,  but  because 
their  mind  constrains  them." 

"  Well,  what  am  I  to  think  of  the  Phoenicians?  " 

"  They  are  wise  people  of  mighty  industry  and  daring,  but 
hucksters  :  for  them  life  means  profit,  be  it  great  or  the  greatest. 
The  Phoenicians  are  like  water  :  they  bring  much  with  them,  but 
bear  away  much,  and  push  in  at  all  points.  One  must  give 
them  the  least  possible,  and  above  all  watch  that  they  enter  not 
through  hidden  crannies  into  Egypt.  If  thou  pay  them  well 
and  offer  hope  of  still  greater  profit,  they  will  be  excellent 
assistants.  What  we  know  to-day  of  secret  movements  in 
Assyria  we  know  through  Phoenicians." 

u  And  the  Jews?  "  asked  the  prince,  dropping  his  eyes. 

"  A  quick  people,  but  gloomy  fanatics  and  born  enemies  of 
Egypt.  Only  when  they  feel  on  their  necks  the  iron-shod  san 
dal  of  the  Assyrian,  will  they  turn  to  us.  May  that  time  not 
come  too  late  to  them !  It  is  possible  to  use  their  services,  not 
here,  of  course,  but  in  Nineveh  and  Babylon." 

The  pharaoh  was  wearied  now.  Hence  the  prince  fell  on  his 
face  before  him,  and  when  he  had  received  the  paternal  embrace 
he  went  to  his  mother. 

The  lady,  sitting  in  her  study,  was  weaving  delicate  linen  to 
make  garments  for  the  gods,  and  her  ladies  in  waiting  were 
sewing  and  embroidering  robes  or  making  bouquets.  A  young 
priest  was  burning  incense  before  the  statue  of  Isis. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  141 

"  I  come,"  said  the  prince,  "  to  thauk  thee,  my  mother,  and 
take  farewell." 

The  queen  rose  and  putting  her  arms  around  her  son's  neck, 
said  to  him  tearfully,  — 

"Hast  thou  changed  so  much?  Thou  art  a  man  now!  I 
meet  thee  so  rarely  that  I  might  forget  thy  features  did  I  not 
see  them  in  my  heart  every  moment.  Thou  art  unkind.  How 
many  times  have  I  gone  with  the  first  dignitary  of  the  state 
toward  thy  villa,  thinking  that  at  last  thou  wouldst  cease  to  be 
offended,  but  thou  didst  bring  out  thy  favorite  in  my  presence." 

"I  beg  thy  pardon  —  I  beg  thy  pardon!"  said  Rameses, 
kissing  his  mother. 

She  conducted  him  to  a  garden  in  which  peculiar  flowers  grew, 
and  when  they  were  without  witnesses,  she  said,  — 

"I  am  a  woman,  so  a  woman  and  a  mother  has  interest  for 
me.  Dost  thou  wish  to  take  that  girl  with  thee  on  thy  journey  ? 
Remember  that  the  tumult  and  the  movement  which  will  sur 
round  thee  may  harm  her,  for  in  her  condition  calm  and  quiet 
are  needed." 

"Art  thou  speaking  of  Sarah?"  inquired  Rameses,  aston 
ished.  "  She  has  said  nothing  to  me  of  that  condition." 

"  She  may  be  ashamed ;  perhaps  she  does  not  herself  know," 
replied  the  queen.  "  In  every  case  the  journey  —  " 

"  I  have  no  intention  of  taking  her !  "  exclaimed  Rameses. 
"  But  why  does  she  hide  this  from  me  —  as  if  the  child  were 
not  mine?  " 

"Be  not  suspicious,"  chided  the  lady.  "This  is  the  usual 
timidity  of  young  women.  Moreover,  she  may  be  hiding  her 
condition  from  fear  lest  thou  cast  her  away  from  thee." 

"  For  that  matter,  I  shall  not  take  her  to  my  court! "  broke 
out  the  prince,  so  impatiently  that  the  queen's  eyes  were  smil 
ing,  but  she  covered  them  with  their  long  lashes. 

"It  is  not  well  to  be  over-harsh  with  a  woman  who  loved 
thee.  I  know  that  thou  hast  given  an  assured  support  to  her. 
We  will  give  her  something  also.  And  a  child  of  the  royal 
blood  must  be  reared  well,  and  have  property." 

"  Naturally,"  answered  Rameses.  "  My  first  son,  though 
without  princely  rights,  must  be  so  placed  that  I  may  not  be 
ashamed  of  him,  and  he  must  not  regret  separation  from  me." 


142  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

After  parting  with  the  queen,  Rameses  wished  to  go  to  Sarah, 
and  with  that  object  returned  to  his  chambers. 

Two  feelings  were  roused  in  him,  —  anger  at  Sarah  for  hiding 
the  cause  of  her  weakness,  and  pride  that  he  was  going  to  be 
a  father. 

He  a  father!  This  title  gave  him  an  importance  which,  as  it 
were,  supported  his  titles  of'commauder  and  viceroy.  Father! 
that  did  not  mean  a  stripling  who  must  look  perforce  with 
reverence  on  older  people. 

He  was  roused  and  enraptured.  He  wished  to  see  Sarah,  to 
scold,  then  embrace  her  and  give  her  presents. 

But  when  he  returned  to  his  part  of  the  palace  he  found  there 
two  uomarchs  from  Lower  Egypt  who  had  come  to  report  on 
their  provinces,  and  when  he  had  heard  them  out,  he  was 
wearied.  Besides,  he  was  to  hold  an  evening  reception  and 
did  not  wish  to  be  late  in  beginning. 

"And  again  I  shall  not  be  with  her,"  thought  he.  "Poor 
girl !  for  twenty  days  she  has  not  seen  me  — " 

He  summoned  the  negro. 

"Hast  thou  that  cage  which  Sarah  gave  thee  when  we  went 
to  greet  his  holiness  ? " 

"  I  have." 

"  Take  a  pigeon  from  it,  and  let  the  bird  loose." 

"  The  pigeons  are  eaten." 

"Who  ate  them?" 

' '  Thou.  I  told  the  cook  that  those  birds  came  from  the  Lady 
Sarah ;  so  he  made  a  roast  and  pies  out  of  them  for  thee, 
worthiness." 

"  May  the  crocodiles  eat  you  both!"  cried  the  prince,  in 
anger. 

He  sent  for  Tutmosis  and  despatched  him  immediately  to 
Sarah.  He  explained  to  him  the  history  of  the  pigeons,  and 
said,  — 

"  Give  her  emerald  earrings,  bracelets,  anklets,  and  two 
talents.  Say  that  I  am  angry  because  she  concealed  her  con 
dition,  but  that  I.  will  forgive  her  if  the  child  is  healthy  and 
handsome.  Should  she  have  a  boy,  I  will  give  her  another 
place,"  finished  he,  with  a  smile.  "But  —  but  —  persuade 
her  to  put  away  even  a  few  Jews,  and  to  take  even  a  few 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  143 

Egyptian  men  and  women.  I  do  not  wish  my  son  to  be  born 
into  such  company  ;  besides,  he  might  play  with  Jew  children. 
They  would  teach  him  to  give  his  father  the  worst  dates  of  the 
harvest.'* 


CHAPTER   XIX 

THE  foreign  quarter  in  Memphis  lay  on  the  northeastern 
extremity  of  the  city  near  the  river.     There  were  several 
hundred  houses  in  that  place  and  many   thousand    people,  - 
Assyrians,    Greeks,    Jews,    most   of    all,    Phoenicians. 

That  was  a  wealthy  quarter.  A  street  thirty  paces  in  width 
formed  its  leading  artery.  This  street  was  rather  straight,  and 
paved  with  flat  stones.  On  both  sides  were  houses  of  sandstone, 
brick,  or  limestone,  varying  in  height  from  three  to  five  stories. 
In  the  cellars  were  stores  of  raw  materials  ;  on  the  ground  floors 
were  arched  rooms  ;  on  the  first  stories  dwellings  of  wealthy 
people  ;  higher  were  the  workshops  of  weavers,  tailors,  jewel 
lers  ;  highest  of  all,  the  crowded  dwellings  of  laborers. 

The  buildings  of  this  quarter,  like  those  in  the  whole  city, 
were  mainly  white ;  but  one  might  see  stone  houses  as  green 
as  a  meadow,  as  yellow  as  a  wheat-field,  as  blue  as  the  sky.  or 
as  red  as  blood. 

The  front  walls  of  many  houses  were  ornamented  with 
pictures  representing  the  occupations  of  people  who  dwelt  in 
them.  On  the  house  of  a  jeweller  long  rows  of  pictures  an 
nounced  that  its  owner  sold  to  foreign  kings  chains  and  brace 
lets  of  his  own  making  which  roused  their  amazement.  The 
immense  palace  of  a  merchant  was  covered  with  pictures  repre 
senting  the  labors  and  perils  of  a  trafficker :  on  the  sea  dread 
ful  monsters  with  fish  tails  were  seizing  the  man ;  in  the  desert 
winged  dragons  breathing  fire  were  grasping  after  him,  and  on 
distant  islands  he  was  tormented  by  a  giant  whose  sandals  were 
larger  than  any  ship  of  the  Phoenicians. 

A  physician  on  the  wall  of  his  office  represented  persons  who, 
thanks  to  his  aid,  had  recovered  lost  hands  and  feet,  even 
teeth  and  youthfulness.  On  a  building  occupied  by  a  govern 
ment  administrator  of  the  quarter  were  to  be  seen  a  keg  into 


144  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

which  people  were  throwing  gold  rings  ;  a  scribe  into  whose  ears 
some  one  was  whispering  ;  an  offender,  stretched  on  the  ground, 
whom  two  other  men  were  beating. 

The  street  was  full.  Along  the  walls  stood  litter-bearers, 
men  with  fans,  messengers  and  laborers,  ready  to  offer  their 
services.  In  the  middle  of  the  street  moved  an  unbroken  line  of 
merchants'  wares  carried  by  men,  asses,  or  oxen  attached  to 
vehicles.  On  the  sidewalks  pushed  forward  noisy  sellers  of 
fresh  water,  grapes,  dates,  dried  fish,  and  among  them  hucksters, 
flower-girls,  musicians,  and  tricksters  of  various  descriptions. 

In  this  torrent  of  people  which  flowed  forward  and  sepa 
rated,  in  which  men  bought  and  sold,  crying  out  in  various  tones, 
policemen  were  prominent.  Each  had  a  brownish  tunic  reaching 
to  his  knees,  bare  legs,  an  apron  with  blue  and  red  stripes,  a 
short  sword  at  his  side,  and  a  strong  stick  in  his  hand.  This 
official  walked  along  on  the  sidewalk ;  sometimes  he  conversed 
with  a  colleague  ;  most  frequently,  however,  he  stood  on  a  stone 
at  the  edge  of  the  street,  so  as  to  take  in  more  accurately  the 
crowd  which  flowed  past  in  front  of  him. 

In  view  of  such  watchfulness  street  thieves  had  to  do  their 
work  cleverly.  Usually  two  began  to  fight,  and  when  a  crowd 
had  gathered  around  them  and  the  police  clubbed  both  spec 
tators  and  quarrellers,  other  confederates  in  the  art  did  the 
stealing. 

About  half-way  between  the  two  ends  of  the  street  stood  the 
inn  of  Asarhadon,  a  Phoenician  from  Tyre.  In  this  inn,  for 
easier  control,  all  were  forced  to  dwell  who  came  from  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  Egypt.  It  was  a  large  quadrangular  building 
which  on  each  side  had  a  number  of  tens  of  windows,  and  was 
not  connected  with  other  houses  ;  hence  men  could  go  around 
the  place  and  watch  it  from  all  points.  Over  the  principal  gate 
hung  the  model  of  a  ship ;  on  the  front  wall  were  pictures  rep 
resenting  his  holiness  Rameses  XII.  placing  offerings  before 
the  gods,  or  extending  his  protection  to  foreigners,  among 
whom  the  Phoenicians  were  distinguished  by  a  sturdy  stature 
and  very  ruddy  faces. 

The  windows  were  narrow,  always  open,  and  only  in  case  of 
need  shaded  by  curtains  of  linen  or  by  colored  slats.  The 
chambers  of  the  innkeeper  and  of  travellers  occupied  three 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  145 

stories ;  the  ground  floor  was  devoted  to  a  wineshop  and  au 
eating-place.  Sailors,  carriers,  handicraftsmen,  and  in  general 
the  poorer  class  of  travellers  ate  and  drank  in  a  courtyard  which 
had  a  mosaic  pavement  and  a  linen  roof  resting  on  columns,  so 
that  all  guests  might  be  under  inspection.  The  wealthier  and 
better  born  ate  in  a  gallery  which  surrounded  the  courtyard. 
In  the  courtyard  the  men  sat  on  the  pavement  near  stones  which 
were  used  instead  of  tables  ;  in  the  galleries,  which  were  cooler, 
there  were  tables,  stools,  and  armchairs,  even  low  couches,  with 
cushions,  on  which  guests  might  slumber. 

In  each  gallery  there  was  a  great  table  on  which  were  bread, 
meat,  fish,  and  fruits,  also  jugs  holding  several  quarts  of  beer, 
wine,  and  water.  Negroes,  men  and  women,  bore  around  food 
to  the  guests,  removed  empty  vessels,  and  brought  from  the 
cellars  full  pitchers,  while  scribes  watching  scrupulously  over  the 
tables  noted  down  carefully  each  piece  of  bread,  bulb  of  garlic, 
and  flagon  of  water.  In  the  courtyard  two  inspectors  stood  on 
an  elevation  with  sticks  in  their  grasp ;  these  men  kept  their 
eyes  on  the  servants  and  the  scribes  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the 
other  by  the  aid  of  the  sticks  they  settled  quarrels  between  the 
poorer  guests  of  various  nations.  Thanks  to  this  arrangement 
thefts  and  battles  happened  rarely ;  they  were  more  frequent  in 
the  galleries  than  the  courtyard. 

The  Phosnician  innkeeper  himself,  the  noted  Asarhadon,  a 
man  beyond  fifty,  dressed  in  a  long  tunic  and  a  muslin  cape, 
walked  among  the  guests  to  see  if  each  received  what  he  had 
ordered. 

"Eat  and  drink,  my  sons !"  said  he  to  the  Greek  sailors, 
"  for  such  pork  and  beer  there  is  not  in  all  the  world  as  I  have. 
I  hear  that  a  storm  struck  your  ship  about  Rafia?  Ye  should 
give  a  bounteous  offering  to  the  gods  for  preserving  you.  In 
Memphis  a  man  might  not  see  a  storm  all  his  life,  but  at  sea  it 
is  easier  to  meet  lightning  than  a  copper  uten.  I  have  mead, 
flour,  incense  for  holy  sacrifices,  and  here,  in  the  corner,  stand 
the  gods  of  all  nations.  In  my  inn  a  man  may  still  his  hunger 
and  be  pious  for  very  slight  charges." 

He  turned  and  went  to  the  gallery  among  the  merchants.  "  Eat 
and  drink,  worthy  lords,"  incited  he,  making  obeisance.  "  The 
times  are  good.  The  most  worthy  heir  —  may  he  live  for 

10 


146  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ever  !  —  is  going  to  Pi-Bast  with  an  enormous  retinue,  but 
from  the  upper  kingdom  a  transport  of  gold  has  come,  of  which 
more  than  one  of  you  will  win  a  good  portion.  I  have  par 
tridges,  young  goslings,  fish  direct  from  the  river,  perfect  roast 
venison.  And  what  wine  they  have  sent  me  from  Cyprus! 
May  I  be  turned  into  a  Jew  if  a  goblet  of  that  luxury  is  not 
worth  two  drachmas,  but  to  you,  my  benefactors  and  fathers,  I 
will  give  it  to-day  for  one  drachma,  — only  to-day,  to  make  a 
beginning.'7 

"  Give  it  for  half  a  drachma  a  goblet,  and  we  will  taste  it," 
said  one  of  the  merchants. 

"  Half  a  drachma!  "  repeated  the  host.  "  Sooner  will  the 
Nile  flow  upward  toward  Thebes  than  I  give  such  sweetness  for 
half  a  drachma,  unless  I  do  it  for  thee,  Lord  Belezis,  who  art  the 
pearl  of  Sidon.  Hei,  slaves  !  bring  to  our  benefactors  the  lar 
gest  pitcher  of  wine  from  Cyprus." 

When  the  innkeeper  had  walked  on,  the  merchant  named 
Belezis  said  to  his  companions,  — 

"  May  my  hand  wither  if  that  wine  is  worth  half  a  drachma ! 
But  never  mind !  We  shall  have  less  trouble  with  the  police 
hereafter." 

Conversation  with  guests  of  all  nations  and  conditions  did 
not  prevent  the  host  from  looking  at  the  scribes  who  noted 
down  food  and  drink,  at  the  watchman  who  stared  at  the 
scribes  and  the  servants,  and  above  all  at  a  traveller  who  had 
se-ated  himself  on  cushions  in  the  front  gallery,  with  his  feet 
under  him,  and  who  was  dozing  over  a  handful  of  dates  and  a 
goblet  of  pure  water.  That  traveller  was  about  forty  years  old, 
he  had  abundant  hair  and  beard  of  raven  color,  thoughtful 
eyes,  and  wonderfully  noble  features  which  seemed  never  to 
have  been  wrinkled  by  anger  or  distorted  by  fear. 

"That  is  a  dangerous  rat!  "  thought  the  innkeeper,  frowning. 
"He  has  the  look  of  a  priest,  but  he  wears  a  dark  coat.  He 
has  left  gold  and  jewels  with  me  to  the  value  of  a  talent,  and  he 
neither  eats  meat  nor  drinks  wine.  He  must  be  a  great 
prophet  or  a  very  great  criminal." 

Two  naked  serpent-tamers  came  into  the  courtyard  bearing 
a  basket  full  of  poisonous  reptiles,  and  began  their  exhibition. 
The  younger  one  played  on  a  flute,  while  the  elder  wound  around 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  147 

his  body  snakes  big  and  little,  any  one  of  which  would  have 
sufficed  to  drive  away  guests  from  the  inn  "  Under  the  Ship." 

The  flute-player  gave  out  shriller  and  shriller  notes ;  the  ser 
pent-tamer  squirmed,  foamed  at  the  mouth,  quivered  convul 
sively,  and  irritated  the  reptiles  till  one  of  them  bit  him  on  the 
hand,  another  on  the  face,  while  he  swallowed  alive  a  third  one, 
the  smallest. 

The  guests  and  the  servants  looked  at  the  exhibition  of  the 
serpent-tamer  with  alarm.  They  trembled  when  he  irritated 
the  reptiles,  they  closed  their  eyes  when  they  bit  him  ;  but 
when  the  performer  swallowed  one  of  the  snakes,  they  howled 
with  delight  and  wonder. 

The  traveller  in  the  front  gallery,  however,  did  not  leave  his 
cushions,  he  did  not  deign  even  to  look  at  the  exhibition.  But 
when  the  tamer  approached  for  pay,  he  threw  to  the  pavement 
two  copper  utens,  giving  a  sign  with  his  hand  not  to  come 
nearer. 

The  exhibition  lasted  half  an  hour  perhaps.  When  the  per 
formers  left  the  courtyard,  a  negro  attending  to  the  chambers  of 
the  inn  rushed  up  to  the  host  and  whispered  something  anx 
iously.  After  that,  it  was  unknown  whence,  a  decurion  of  the 
police  appeared,  and  when  he  had  conducted  Asarhadon  to  a 
remote  window,  he  conversed  long  with  him.  The  worthy  owner 
of  the  inn  beat  his  breast,  clasped  his  hands,  or  seized  his  head. 
At  last  he  kicked  the  black  man  in  the  belly,  and  commanded 
him  to  give  the  police  official  a  roast  goose  and  a  pitcher  of 
Cyprus  wine;  then  he  approached  the  guest  in  the  front  gallery, 
who  seemed  to  doze  there  uu brokenly,  though  his  eyes  were 
open. 

"  I  have  evil  news  for  thee,  worthy  lord,"  said  the  host,  sit 
ting  at  the  side  of  the  traveller. 

"The  gods  send  rain  and  sadness  on  people  whenever  it 
pleases  them,"  replied  the  guest,  with  indifference. 

"  While  we  were  looking  at  the  snake-tamers,"  continued  the 
host,  pulling  at  his  parti-colored  beard,  "thieves  reached  the 
second  story  and  stole  thy  effects,  —  three  bags  and  a  casket, 
of  course  very  precious. " 

"  Thou  must  inform  the  court  of  my  loss." 

"Wherefore   the  court?"   whispered   the  host.     "With  us 


148  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

thieves  have  a  guild  of  their  own.  We  will  send  for  their 
elder,  and  value  the  effects ;  thou  wilt  pay  him  twenty  per  cent 
of  the  value  and  all  will  be  found  again.  I  can  assist  thee." 

"In  my  country,"  replied  the  guest,  "no  man  compounds 
with  thieves,  and  I  will  not.  I  lodge  with  thee,  I  trusted  thee 
with  my  property,  and  thou  wilt  answer." 

The  worthy  Asarhadon  began  to  scratch  his  shoulder-blades. 

"Man  of  a  distant  region,"  continued  he,  in  a  lower  voice, 
"ye  Hittites  and  we  Phoenicians  are  brothers,  hence  I  advise 
thee  sincerely  not  to  turn  to  an  Egyptian  court,  for  it  has  only 
one  door,  —  that  by  which  a  man  enters,  but  none  by  which  he 
goes  out." 

"  The  gods  can  conduct  an  innocent  man  through  a  wall," 
said  the  Hittite. 

' '  Innocent !  Who  of  us  in  the  land  of  bondage  is  innocent?  " 
whispered  the  host.  "  Look  in  that  direction  ;  over  there  that 
commander  of  ten  policemen  is  finishing  a  goose,  an  excellent 
young  goose,  which  I  myself  would  have  eaten  gladly.  But 
dost  thou  know  why,  taking  it  from  my  own  rnouth,  I  gave 
that  goose  to  him  ?  " 

"  It  was  because  the  man  came  to  inquire  about  thee." 

When  he  said  this,  the  Phoenician  looked  askance  at  the 
traveller,  who  did  not  lose  calmness  for  an  instant. 

"  He  asked  me,"  continued  the  host,  "  that  master  of  ten 
policemen  asked,  *  What  sort  of  man  is  that  black  one  who  sits 
two  hours  over  a  handful  of  dates  ?  '  I  replied  :  '  A  very  honor 
able  man,  the  lord  Phut.'  'Whence  comes  he?'  'From  the 
country  of  the  Hittites,  from  the  city  of  Harran  ;  he  has  a  good 
house  there  of  three  stories,  and  much  land.'  *  Why  has  he 
come  hither? '  '  He  has  come,'  I  replied,  i  to  receive  five  talents 
from  a  certain  priest,  talents  lent  by  his  father.' 

"And  dost  thou  know,  worthy  lord,"  continued  the  inn 
keeper,  "what  that  decurion  answered?  '  Asarhadon,'  said  he, 
'  I  know  that  thou  art  a  faithful  servant  of  his  holiness,  thou  hast 
good  food  and  pure  wines ;  for  this  reason  I  warn  thee,  look  to 
thyself.  Have  a  care  of  foreigners  who  make  no  acquaintances, 
who  avoid  wine  and  every  amusement,  and  are  silent.  That 
Phut  of  Harran  may  be  an  Assyrian  spy.'  The  heart  died  in 
tne  when  I  heard  this.  But  these  words  do  not  affect  thee," 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  149 

said  he,  indignantly,  when  he  saw  that  the  terrible  suspicion  of 
espionage  did  not  disturb  the  calm  face  of  the  Hittite. 

"Asarhadon,"  said  the  guest,  after  a  while,  "I  confided  to 
thee  myself  and  my  property.  See  to  it,  therefore,  that  my  bags 
and  my  casket  are  returned  to  me,  for  in  the  opposite  case  I 
shall  complain  of  thee  to  that  same  chief  of  teu  who  is  eating 
the  goose  which  was  intended  for  thee." 

"  Well,  but  permit  me  to  pay  the  thieves  only  fifteen  per 
cent  of  the  value  of  the  things,"  cried  the  host. 

"  Thou  hast  no  right  to  pay." 

"Give  them  even  thirty  drachmas." 

"Not  an  uten." 

"  Give  the  poor  fellows  even  ten  drachmas." 

"  Go  in  peace,  Asarhadon,  and  beg  the  gods  to  return  thee 
thy  reason,"  answered  the  traveller,  with  the  same  unchanging 
calmness. 

The  host  sprang  up,  panting  from  anger. 

"  The  reptile  !  "  thought  he.  u  He  has  not  come  for  a  debt 
simply.  He  is  doing  some  business  here.  My  heart  tells  me 
that  he  is  a  rich  merchant,  or  maybe  an  innkeeper  who,  in  com 
pany  with  priests  and  judges,  will  open  another  inn  somewhere 
near  this  one.  May  the  first  fire  of  heaven  burn  thee !  May 
the  leprosy  devour  thee  !  Miser,  deceiver,  criminal  from  whom 
an  honest  man  can  make  nothing." 

The  worthy  Asarhadon  had  not  succeeded  yet  in  calming 
himself  when  the  sounds  of  a  flute  and  a  drum  were  heard  on 
the  street,  and  after  a  while  four  dancers,  almost  naked,  rushed 
into  the  courtyard.  The  carriers  and  sailors  greeted  them  with 
shouts  of  delight,  and  even  important  merchants  in  the  galleries 
looked  at  them  with  curiosity  and  made  remarks  on  their 
beauty.  The  dancers  with  motions  of  the  hands  and  with 
smiles  greeted  all  the  company.  One  began  to  play  on  a  double 
flute,  another  accompanied  with  a  drum,  and  the  two  others 
danced  around  the  court  in  such  fashion  that  there  was  hardly 
a  guest  whom  their  muslin  shawls  did  not  strike  as  they  whirled. 

Those  who  were  drinking  began  to  sing,  shout,  and  call  to  the 
dancers,  while  among  the  common  herd  a  quarrel  sprang  up 
which  the  inspectors  settled  with  canes.  A  certain  Libyan, 
angered  at  sight  of  the  canes,  drew  a  knife,  but  two  black  men 


150  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

seized  his  arms,  took  from  him  some  bronze  rings  as  pay  for 
food,  and  hurled  him  out  to  the  street.  Meanwhile  one  of  the 
dancers  remained  with  the  sailors,  two  went  among  the  mer 
chants  who  offered  them  wine  and  cakes,  and  the  oldest  passed 
among  the  tables  to  make  a  collection. 

u  By  the  sanctuary  of  the  divine  I  sis  !"  cried  she,  "pious 
strangers,  give  offerings  to  the  goddess  who  guards  all  creation. 
The  more  you  give  the  more  happiness  and  blessing  will  come 
to  you.  For  the  sanctuary  of  Mother  Isis  !  " 

They  threw  onto  her  drum  coils  of  copper  wire,  sometimes  a 
grain  of  gold.  One  merchant  asked  if  it  were  permitted  to  visit 
her,  to  which  she  nodded  with  a  smile. 

When  she  entered  the  front  gallery,  Phut  of  Harran  reached 
for  his  leather  bag  and  took  out  a  gold  ring,  saying,  — 

"  Istar  is  a  great  and  good  goddess;  take  this  for  her 
sanctuary." 

The  priestess  looked  quickly  at  him  and  whispered,  — 

"  Anael,  Sachiel  —  " 

"  Amabiel,  Abalidot,"  answered  the  traveller,  in  the  same 
low  tone. 

"  I  see  that  thou  lovest  Mother  Isis,"  said  the  priestess, 
aloud.  "Thou  must  be  wealthy  and  art  bountiful,  so  it  is 
worth  while  to  soothsay  for  thee." 

She  sat  down  near  him,  ate  a  couple  of  dates,  and  looking  at 
his  hand  began,  — 

"  Thou  art  from  a  distant  region,  from  Bretor  and  Hagit.1 
Thou  hast  had  a  pleasant  journey.  For  some  days  the  Phoeni 
cians  are  watching  thee,"  added  she,  in  a  lower  voice. 

"  Thou  hast  come  for  money,  though  thon  art  not  a  merchant. 
Visit  me  this  day  after  sunset.  Thy  wishes  will  be  accom 
plished,"  said  she,  aloud.  "  They  should  be  accomplished.  1 
live  on  the  Street  of  Tombs  in  the  house  of  the  Green  Star," 
whispered  she.  "But  beware  of  thieves  who  are  watching  for 
thy  property,"  finished  she,  seeing  that  the  worthy  Asarhadon 
was  listening. 

"  There  are  no  thieves  in  my  house  !  "  burst  out  the  Phoani- 
cian.  "  None  steal  except  those  who  come  from  the  street." 

"  Be  not  angry,  old  man,"  replied  the  priestess,  jeeringly, 
1  The  spirits  of  the  northern  and  eastern  parts  of  the  world. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  151 

"or  a  red  line  will  come  out  on  thy  neck  right  away;    that 
means  an  unlucky  death." 

When  he  heard  this,  Asarhadon  spat  three  times,  and  in  a  low 
voice  repeated  a  charm  against  evil  predictions.  When  he  had 
moved  away  to  the  depth  of  the  gallery,  the  priestess  began  to 
coquet  with  the  Harran  man.  She  gave  him  a  rose  from  her 
crown,  embraced  him  at  parting,  and  went  to  the  other  tables. 

The  traveller  beckoned  to  the  host. 

"I  wish,"  said  he,  "that  woman  to  come  to  me.  Give 
command  to  conduct  her  to  my  chamber." 

Asarhadon  looked  into  his  eyes,  clapped  his  hands,  and 
burst  out  laughing. 

11  Typhon  has  possessed  thee,  O  man  of  Harran  !  "  cried  he. 
"  If  anything  of  that  sort  happened  in  my  house  with  an 
Egyptian  priestess,  they  would  drive  me  out  of  the  city.  Here 
it  is  permissible  to  receive  only  foreign  women." 

"  In  that  case  I  will  go  to  her,"  answered  Phut,  "  for  she  is 
a  wise  and  devout  person,  and  has  told  me  of  many  happen 
ings.  After  sunset  thou  wilt  give  me  a  guide,  so  that  I  may 
not  go  astray." 

"  All  the  evil  spirits  have  entered  thy  heart,"  said  Asarha 
don.  "  Dost  thou  know  that  this  acquaintance  will  cost  thee 
two  hundred  drachmas,  perhaps  three  hundred,  not  counting 
that  which  thou  must  give  the  servants  and  the  sanctuary. 
For  such  a  sum,  or  say  five  hundred  drachmas,  thou  mayst 
make  the  acquaintance  of  a  young  and  virtuous  woman,  my 
daughter,  who  is  now  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  like  a  prudent 
girl  is  collecting  for  herself  a  dowry.  Do  not  wander  in  the 
night  through  a  strange  city,  for  thou  wilt  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  police  or  of  thieves,  but  make  use  of  that  which  the  gods 
give  thee  at  home.  Dost  thou  wish?  " 

' '  But  will  thy  daughter  go  with  me  to  Harran  ? "  inquired 
Phut. 

The  innkeeper  looked  at  him  with  astonishment.  All  at 
once  he  struck  his  forehead,  as  if  he  had  divined  a  secret, 
and  seizing  the  traveller  by  the  hand,  he  drew  him  to  a  quieter 
place  at  the  window. 

"  I  know  all,"  whispered  he,  excitedly.  "  Thou  art  dealing 
\n  women.  But  remember  that  for  taking  away  one  Egyptian 


152  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

woman  thou  mayst  lose  thy  property  and  go  to  the  quarries. 
But  —  perhaps  thou  wilt  take  me  into  thy  company,  for  here  I 
know  every  road." 

"  In  that  case  show  me  the  road  to  the  priestess,"  said  Phut. 
"  Remember  that  after  sunset  thou  art  to  have  a  guide  for  me, 
and  to-morrow  my  bags  and  casket,  otherwise  I  shall  complain 
to  the  court." 

Then  Phut  left  the  gallery  and  went  to  his  chamber  on  a 
higher  story. 

Asarhadon  with  anger  approached  a  table  at  which  Phoeni 
cian  merchants  were  drinking,  and  called  aside  one  of  them 
named  Kush. 

"  Thou  bringest  beautiful  guests  to  me !  "  said  he,  unable  to 
restrain  the  quivering  of  his  voice.  "  That  Phut  eats  almost 
nothing,  and  now,  as  if  to  insult  my  house,  he  is  going  out  to 
an  Egyptian  dancer  instead  of  giving  presents  to  my  women." 

"What  wonder  in  that?"  answered  Kush,  smiling.  "He 
could  find  a  Phoenician  woman  in  Sidon,  but  here  he  prefers  an 
Egyptian.  A  fool  is  he  who  in  Cyprus  does  not  taste  Cyprus 
wine,  but  Tyrian  beer  — 

"  But  I  say,"  broke  in  the  host,  "  that  that  man  is  danger 
ous.  He  seems  to  be  a  citizen,  though  he  looks  like  a  priest." 

"Thou,  Asarhadon,  hast  the  look  of  a  high  priest,  though 
thou  art  only  an  innkeeper.  A  bench  does  not  cease  to  be  a 
bench,  though  it  has  a  lion's  skin  on  it." 

"  But  why  does  he  go  to  priestesses?  I  would  swear  that 
that  is  a  pretence,  and  that  this  churlish  Hittite,  instead  of  going 
to  a  feast  with  women,  is  going  to  some  meeting  of  conspirators." 

"Anger  and  greed  have  darkened  thy  reason,"  answered 
Kush,  with  impatience.  "Thou  art  like  a  man  who  looking 
for  melons  on  a  fig-tree  sees  not  the  figs  on  it.  It  is  clear  to 
a-ny  merchant  that  if  Phut  is  to  collect  five  talents  from  a  priest 
he  must  win  favors  from  all  who  go  around  in  the  sanctuaries. 
But  thou  hast  no  understanding." 

"  My  heart  tells  me  that  this  must  be  an  Assyrian  ambas 
sador  watching  to  destroy  his  holiness." 

Kush  looked  with  contempt  on  Asarhadon. 

"  Watch  him,  then;  follow  every  step  of  his.  If  thou  dis 
cover  anything,  perhaps  thou  wilt  get  some  part  of  his  property." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  153 

"  Oh,  now  thou  hast  given  wise  counsel,"  said  the  host. 
"  Let  that  rat  go  to  the  priestesses,  and  from  them  to  places 
unknown  to  me.  But  I  will  send  after  him  my  vision,  from 
which  nothing  will  be  secret." 


CHAPTER   XX 

ABOUT  nine  in  the  evening  Phut  left  the  inn  "  Under  the 
Ship  "  in  company  with  a  negro  who  carried  a  torch. 
Half  an  hour  earlier  Asarhadon  sent  out  a  confidential  servant, 
commanding  him  to  observe  carefully  if  the  guest  from  Harran 
left  the  house  of  the  "  Green  Star,"  and  if  so  to  follow  him. 

A  second  confidential  servant  went  at  a  certain  distance  be 
hind  Phut ;  in  the  narrower  streets  he  hid  among  the  houses, 
on  the  broader  ones  he  feigned  drunkenness. 

The  streets  were  empty  ;  carriers  and  hucksters  were  sleeping. 
There  was  light  only  in  the  houses  of  artisans  who  were  at  work, 
or  in  those  of  rich  people  who  were  feasting  on  the  terraces. 
In  various  houses  were  heard  the  sounds  of  harps  and  flutes, 
songs,  laughter,  the  blows  of  hammers,  the  sound  of  saws  in 
the  hands  of  cabinet  makers ;  at  times  the  cry  of  a  drunken 
man,  or  a  call  for  assistance. 

The  streets  along  which  Phut  and  the  slave  passed  were 
narrow  for  the  greater  part,  crooked  and  full  of  holes.  As  they 
approached  the  end  of  the  journey,  the  stone  houses  were  lower 
and  lower,  those  of  one  story  more  frequent,  and  there  were 
more  gardens,  or  rather  palms,  fig-trees,  and  stunted  acacias, 
which,  inclining  out  from  between  the  walls,  seemed  to  have  the 
intention  to  escape  from  their  places.  On  the  Street  of  Tombs 
the  view  changed  on  a  sudden.  In  place  of  stone  buildings 
there  were  broad  gardens,  and  in  the  middle  of  them  splendid 
villas.  The  negro  stopped  before  one  of  the  gates  and  quenched 
his  torch. 

uHere  is  the  'Green  Star,'"  said  he,  and,  making  a  low 
bow  to  Phut,  he  turned  homeward. 

The  man  of  Harran  knocked  at  the  gate.  After  a  while  the 
gatekeeper  appeared.  He  looked  attentively  at  the  stranger, 
and  muttered,  — 


154  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Anael,  Sachiel." 

"  Amabiel,  Abalidot,"  answered  Phut. 

"Be  greeted,"  said  the  gatekeeper;  and  he  opened  quickly 
to  the  visitor. 

When  he  had  passed  some  tens  of  steps  between  trees,  Phut 
found  himself  in  the  antechamber  of  the  villa,  where  the 
priestess  whom  he  knew  greeted  him.  Farther  in  stood  some 
man  with  black  beard  and  hair  ;  so  much  like  the  man  of  Harran 
was  he,  that  Phut  could  not  hide  his  astonishment. 

' '  He  will  take  thy  place  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  are  spying 
thee,"  said  the  priestess,  smiling. 

The  man  who  was  disguised  as  Phut  put  a  garland  of  roses 
on  his  head,  and  in  company  with  the  priestess  went  to  the  first 
story,  where  the  sound  of  flutes  and  the  clatter  of  goblets  were 
heard  soon  after.  Meanwhile  two  inferior  priests  conducted 
Phut  to  a  bath  in  the  garden.  After  the  bath  they  curled  his 
hair  and  put  white  robes  on  him. 

From  the  bath  all  three  went  out  again  among  the  trees, 
passed  a  number  of  gardens,  and  found  themselves  in  an  empty 
space  finally. 

"  There,"  said  one  of  the  .priests,  "  are  the  ancient  tombs ;  on 
that  side  is  the  city,  and  here  the  temple.  Go  whithersoever 
thou  wishest.  May  wisdom  point  out  the  road  to  thee,  and 
sacred  words  guard  thee  from  perils." 

The  two  priests  went  back  to  the  garden,  and  Phut  was  in 
solitude.  The  moonless  night  was  rather  clear.  From  afar, 
covered  with  mist,  glittered  the  Nile ;  higher  up  gleamed  the 
seven  stars  of  the  Great  Bear.  Over  the  head  of  the  stranger 
was  Orion,  and  above  the  dark  pylons  flamed  the  star  Sirius. 

u  The  stars  shine  in  our  land  more  brightly,"  thought  Phut. 

He  began  to  whisper  prayers  in  an  unknown  tongue,  and 
'turned  toward  the  temple. 

When  he  had  gone  a  number  of  steps,  from  one  of  the  gar 
dens  a  man  pushed  out  and  followed  him.  But  almost  at  that 
very  moment  such  a  thick  fog  fell  on  the  place  that  it  was 
quite  impossible  to  see  aught  save  the  roofs  of  the  temple. 

After  a  certain  time  the  man  of  Harran  came  to  a  high  wall. 
He  looked  up  at  the  sky  and  began  to  go  westward.  From 
moment  to  moment  night  birds  and  great  bats  flew  above  him. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  155 

The  mist  had  become  so  dense  that  he  was  forced  to  touch  the 
wall  so  as  not  to  lose  it.  The  journey  had  lasted  rather  long 
when  all  at  once  Phut  found  himself  before  a  low  door  with  a 
multitude  of  bronze  nail  heads.  He  fell  to  counting  these  from 
the  left  side  on  the  top ;  at  the  same  time  he  pressed  some  of 
them  powerfully,  others  he  turned. 

When  he  had  pressed  the  last  nail  at  the  bottom,  the  door 
opened.  The  man  of  Harran  advanced  a  few  steps,  and  found 
himself  in  a  narrow  niche  where  there  was  utter  darkness. 

He  tried  the  ground  carefully  with  his  foot  till  he  struck  upon 
something  like  the  brink  of  a  well  from  which  issued  coolness. 
He  sat  down  then  and  slipped  fearlessly  into  the  abyss,  though 
he  found  himself  in  that  place  and  in  Egypt  for  the  first 
time. 

The  opening  was  not  deep.  Phut  stood  erect  on  a  sloping 
pavement,  and  began  to  descend  along  a  narrow  corridor  with 
as  much  confidence  as  if  he  had  known  the  passage  for  a  life 
time. 

At  the  end  of  the  corridor  was  a  door.  By  groping  the 
stranger  found  a  knocker,  and  struck  three  times  with  it.  In 
answer  came  a  voice,  it  was  unknown  from  what  direction. 

44  Hast  thou,  who  art  disturbing  in  a  night  hour  the  peace  of 
a  holy  place,  the  right  to  enter  ?  " 

"  I  have  done  no  wrong  to  man,  child,  or  woman.  Blood 
has  not  stained  my  hands.  I  have  eaten  no  unclean  food. 
I  have  not  taken  another's  property.  I  have  not  lied.  I  have 
not  betrayed  the  great  secret,"  answered  the  man  of  Harran, 
calmly. 

44  Art  thou  he  for  whom  we  are  waiting,  or  he  who  in  public 
thou  declarest  thyself  to  be?  "  inquired  the  voice,  after  a 
while. 

44  I  am  he  who  was  to  come  from  brethren  in  the  East;  but 
that  other  name  is  mine  also,  and  in  the  northern  city  I  possess 
a  house  and  land,  as  I  have  told  other  persons." 

The  door  opened,  and  Phut  walked  into  a  spacious  cellar 
which  was  lighted  by  a  lamp  burning  on  a  small  table  before 
a  purple  curtain.  On  the  curtain  was  embroidered  in  gold  a 
winged  globe  with  two  serpents. 

At  one  side  stood  an  Egyptian  priest  in  a  white  robe. 


156  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

44  Dost  thou  who  hast  entered,"  asked  the  priest,  pointing  at 
Phut,  "  know  what  this  sign  on  the  curtain  signifies?  " 

"The  globe,"  answered  the  stranger,  "is  an  image  of  the 
world  on  which  we  live ;  the  wings  indicate  that  it  is  borne 
through  space  like  an  eagle." 

"  And  the  serpents?"  asked  the  priest. 

44  The  two  serpents  remind  him  who  is  wise  that  whoso  betrays 
the  great  secret  will  die  a  double  death,  —  he  will  die  soul  and 
body." 

After  a  moment  of  silence  the  priest  continued,  — 

44  If  thou  art  in  real  fact  Beroes"  (here  he  inclined  his  head), 
44  the  great  prophet  of  Chaldea  "  (he  inclined  his  head  a  second 
time),  "  for  whom  there  is  no  secret  in  heaven  or  on  earth, 
be  pleased  to  inform  thy  servant  which  star  is  the  most 
wonderful." 

4<  Wonderful  is  Hor-set, l  which  encircles  heaven  in  the  course 
of  twelve  years  ;  for  four  smaller  stars  go  around  it.  But  the 
most  wonderful  is  Horka,'2  which  encircles  heaven  in  thirty 
years ;  for  it  has  subject  to  it  not  only  stars,  but  a  great  ring 
which  vanishes  sometimes." 

On  hearing  this,  the  Egyptian  priest  prostrated  himself  before 
the  Chaldean.  Then  he  gave  him  a  purple  scarf  and  a  muslin 
veil,  indicated  where  the  incense  was,  and  left  the  cave  with  low 
obeisances. 

The  Chaldean  remained  alone.  He  put  the  scarf  on  his  right 
shoulder,  covered  his  face  with  the  veil,  and,  taking  a  golden 
spoon  sprinkled  into  it  incense,  which  he  lighted  at  the  lamp 
before  the  curtain.  Whispering,  he  turned  three  times  in  a 
circle,  and  the  smoke  of  the  incense  surrounded  him  with  a 
triple  ring,  as  it  were. 

During  this  time  a  wonderful  disturbance  prevailed  in  the 
cave.  It  seemed  as  if  the  top  were  rising  and  the  sides  spread 
ing  out.  The  purple  curtain  at  the  altar  quivered,  as  if 
moved  by  hidden  fingers.  The  air  began  to  move  in  waves,  as 
if  flocks  of  unseen  birds  were  flying  through  it. 

The  Chaldean  opened  the  robe  on  Ms  bosom,  and  drew  forth 
a  gold  medal  covered  with  mysterious  characters.  The  cave 

1  Jupiter.  2  Saturn. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  157 

trembled,  the  sacred  curtain  moved  with  violence,  and  little 
flames  appeared  in  space  at  various  points. 

Then  the  seer  raised  his  hands  and  began,  — 

"  0  Heavenly  Father,  gracious  and  merciful,  purify  my  spirit. 
Send  down  on  Thy  unworthy  servant  a  blessing,  and  extend 
Thy  almighty  arm  against  rebellious  spirits,  so  that  I  may 
manifest  Thy  power. 

"  Here  is  the  sign  which  I  touch  in  thy  presence.  Here  I 
am  — I,  leaning  on  the  assistance  of  that  God,  the  foreseeing 
and  the  fearless.  I  am  mighty,  and  summon  and  conjure  thee. 
Come  hither  with  obedience  —  in  the  name  of  Aye,  Saraye,  Aye 
Saraye !  " 

At  that  moment  from  various  sides  were  heard  voices  as  of 
distant  trumpets.  Near  the  lamp  some  bird  flew  past,  then  a 
robe  of  ruddy  color,  afterward  a  man  with  a  tail,  finally  a 
crowned  cock  which  stood  on  the  table  before  the  curtain. 

The  Chaldean  spoke  again,  — 

"In  the  name  of  the  Almighty  and  Eternal — Amorul, 
Tanecha,  Rabur,  Latisten." 

Distant  sounds  of  trumpets  were  heard  for  a  second  time. 

"  In  the  name  of  the  just  and  ever-living  Eloy,  Archima, 
Rabu,  I  conjure  and  summon  thee.  In  the  name  of  the  star, 
which  is  the  sun,  by  this  its  sign,  by  the  glorious  and  awful 
name  of  the  living  God." 

The  trumpets  sounded  again,  and  stopped  on  a  sudden. 
Before  the  altar  appeared  a  crowned  vision  with  a  sceptre  in 
its  hand,  and  sitting  on  a  lion. 

"  Beroes  !  Beroes  !  "  cried  the  vision,  with  a  restrained  voice. 
"  Why  dost  thou  summon  me?" 

11 1  wish  my  brethren  of  this  temple  to  receive  me  with  sin 
cere  hearts,  and  incline  their  ears  to  the  words  which  I  bring 
them  from  brethren  in  Babylon,"  said  the  Chaldean. 

"Be  it  so,"  said  the  vision,  and  vanished. 

The  Chaldean  stood  as  motionless  as  a  statue,  with  his  head 
thrown  back,  with  hands  lifted  upward.  He  stood  thus  half 
an  hour  in  a  position  impossible  for  an  ordinary  person. 

During  this  time  a  part  of  the  wall  which  formed  one  side  of 
the  cave  pushed  back,  and  three  Egyptian  priests  entered.  At 
sight  of  the  Chaldean,  who  seemed  to  lie  in  the  air,  resting  his 


158  THE  PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST 

shoulders  on  an  invisible  support,  the  priests  looked  at  one 
another  with  amazement.  The  eldest  said,  — 

"  Long  ago  there  were  men  like  this  among  us,  but  no  one 
has  such  power  in  our  day." 

They  walked  around  him  on  all  sides,  touched  his  stiffened 
members,  and  looked  with  fear  at  his  face,  which  was  bloodless 
and  sallow,  like  that  of  a  corpse. 

"Is  he  dead?  "  asked  the  youngest. 

After  these  words  the  body  of  the  Chaldean,  which  had  been 
bent  backward,  returned  to  a  perpendicular  position.  On  his 
face  appeared  a  slight  flush,  and  his  upraised  hands  dropped. 
He  sighed,  rubbed  his  eyes  like  a  man  roused  from  sleep, 
looked  at  the  priests,  and  said  after  a  while,  turning  to  the 
eldest,  — 

"  Thou  art  Mefres,  high  priest  of  the  temple  of  Ptah  in 
Memphis.  Thou  art  Herhor,  high  priest  of  Amon  in  Thebes, 
the  first  dignity  in  this  state  after  the  pharaoh.  Thou,"  he  in 
dicated  the  youngest,  "  art  Pentuer,  the  second  prophet  in  the 
temple  of  Amon,  and  the  adviser  of  Herhor." 

"Thou  art  undoubtedly  Beroes,  the  high  priest  and  sage  of 
Babylon,  whose  coming  was  announced  to  us  a  year  ago,"  an 
swered  Mefres. 

"  Thou  hast  told  truth,"  said  the  Chaldean. 

He  embraced  them  in  turn,  and  they  inclined  before  him. 

"I  bring  you  great  words  from  our  common  fatherland, 
which  is  Wisdom,"  said  Beroes.  "Be  pleased  to  listen  and 
act  as  is  needful." 

At  a  sign  from  Herhor,  Pentuer  withdrew  to  the  rear  of  the 
cave  and  brought  out  three  armchairs  of  light  wood  for  his 
superiors,  and  a  low  stool  for  his  own  use.  He  seated  himself 
near  the  lamp,  and  took  from  his  bosom  a  small  dagger  and 
wax-covered  tablets. 

When  all  three  had  occupied  their  chairs,  the  Chaldean  be 
gan, — 

"  Mefres,  the  highest  college  of  priests  in  Babylon  ad 
dresses  thee :  '  The  sacred  order  of  priests  in  Egypt  is  fall 
ing.  Many  priests  collect  money  and  women,  and  pass  their 
lives  amid  pleasure.  Wisdom  is  neglected.  Ye  have  no 
power  over  the  world,  which  is  invisible.  Ye  have  no  power 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  159 

over  your  own  souls.  Some  of  you  have  lost  the  highest  faith, 
aud  the  future  is  concealed  from  you.  Things  worse  than  this 
even  happen ;  for  many  priests,  feeling  that  their  spiritual 
power  is  exhausted,  have  entered  the  way  of  falsehood  and 
deceive  simple  people  by  cunning  devices.' 

"The  highest  college  says  this:  '  If  ye  wish  to  return  to 
the  good  road,  Beroes  will  remain  some  years  with  you,  so  as 
to  rouse  true  light  on  the  Nile  by  the  aid  of  a  spark  brought 
from  the  high  altar  of  Babylon.' " 

"  All  is  as  thou  sayest,"  answered  Mefres,  confused.  "  Re 
main  with  us  therefore  a  number  of  years,  so  that  the  youth 
growing  up  at  present  may  remember  thy  wisdom." 

"And  now,  Herhor,  to  thee  come  words  from  the  highest 
college." 

Herhor  inclined  his  head. 

"  Because  ye  neglect  the  great  secrets,  your  priests  have  not 
noted  that  evil  years  are  approaching  Egypt.  Ye  are  threat 
ened  by  internal  disasters  from  which  only  virtue  and  wisdom 
can  save  you.  But  the  worst  is  that  if  in  the  course  of  the 
coming  decade  ye  begin  war  with  Assyria,  she  will  defeat  your 
forces.  Her  armies  will  come  to  the  Nile  and  destroy  all  that 
has  existed  here  for  ages. 

"  Such  an  ominous  juncture  of  stars  as  is  now  weighing  on 
Egypt  happened  first  during  the  XIV.  dynasty,  when  the 
Hyksos  kings  captured  and  plundered  this  country.  It  will 
come  for  the  third  time  in  five  or  six  hundred  years  from 
Assyria  and  the  people  of  Paras,  who  dwell  to  the  east  of 
Chaldea." 

The  priests  listened  in  terror.  Herhor  was  pale  ;  the  tablets 
fell  from  Pentuer's  fingers ;  Mefres  held  the  amulet  hanging  on 
his  breast,  and  prayed  while  his  lips  were  parching. 

"Be  on  your  guard  then  against  Assyria,"  continued  the 
Chaldean,  "  for  her  hour  is  the  present.  The  Assyrians  are  a 
dreadful  people  !  They  despise  labor,  they  live  by  war.  They 
conquer,  they  impale  on  stakes  or  flay  living  people,  they  de 
stroy  captured  cities  and  lead  away  their  inhabitants  to  bond 
age.  For  them  to  kill  savage  beasts  is  repose ;  to  pierce 
prisoners  witli  arrows  or  scoop  out  their  eyes  is  amusement. 
Temples  they  turn  into  ruins,  the  vessels  of  the  gods  they  use 


160  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

at  their  banquets,  and  make  buffoons  of  priests  and  sages. 
They  adorn  their  walls  with  skins  torn  from  living  people,  and 
their  tables  with  the  blood-stained  skulls  of  their  enemies." 

When  the  Chaldean  ceased  speaking,  the  worthy  Mefres  an 
swered,  — 

u  Great  prophet,  thou  hast  cast  fear  on  our  souls,  and  dost 
not  indicate  a  remedy.  It  may  be  true,  and  to  a  certainty  is 
so,  since  thou  hast  said  it,  that  the  fates  for  a  certain  time  will 
be  against  us,  but  how  avoid  this  predicament?  In  the  Nile 
there  are  dangerous  places  through  which  no  boat  can  pass 
safely ;  so  the  wisdom  of  the  helmsmen  avoids  deadly  whirl 
pools.  It  is  the  same  with  misfortunes  of  nations.  A  nation 
is  a  boat,  and  an  epoch  is  the  river,  which  at  certain  periods 
has  whirlpools.  If  the  frail  boat  of  a  fisherman  can  avoid 
peril,  why  should  not  millions  of  people  escape  under  similar 
conditions  ?  " 

"  Thy  words  are  wise,"  replied  Beroes,  u  but  I  can  answer 
in  part  only." 

"  Dost  thou  not  know  all  that  will  happen?"  asked 
Herhor. 

"  Ask  me  not  touching  that  which  I  know,  but  which  I  may 
not  disclose  at  this  moment.  Most  important  in  your  case  is  to 
keep  peace  for  ten  years  with  Assyria.  Ye  have  power  to  do 
that.  Assyria  still  dreads  you  ;  she  knows  not  the  juncture  of 
evil  fates  above  Egypt,  and  desires  to  wage  war  with  northern 
and  eastern  nations  who  live  near  the  seacoast  Ye  might, 
therefore,  conclude  a  treaty  to-day  with  Assyria." 

"  On  what  conditions?  "    asked  Herhor. 

"  On  very  good  ones.  Assyria  will  yield  to  you  the  land  of 
Israel  as  far  as  the  city  of  Akko,  and  the  land  of  Edorn  to  the 
city  of  Elath.  So  your  boundaries  will  be  advanced  ten  days 
march  toward  the  north  without  war,  and  ten  days  toward  the 
east  also." 

"  But  Phoenicia?  "  inquired  Herhor. 

44  Approach  not  temptation!"  exclaimed  Beroes.  "If  the 
pharaoh  were  to  stretch  his  hand  to-day  toward  Phoenicia,  in  a 
month  Assyrian  armies  intended  for  the  north  and  east  would 
turn  southward,  and  a  year  hence  or  earlier  their  horses  would 
be  swimming  in  your  sacred  river." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  161 

"  Egypt  cannot  renounce  influence  over  Phoenicia,"  inter 
rupted  Herhor,  with  an  outburst. 

"  Should  she  not  renounce  she  would  prepare  her  own  ruin," 
said  the  Chaldean.  "Moreover,  I  repeat  the  words  of  the 
highest  college:  'Tell  Egypt,'  declared  the  brothers  in  Baby^ 
Ion,  '  to  cower  to  the  earth  for  ten  years,  like  a  partridge,  for 
the  falcon  of  evil  fate  is  watching  her.  Tell  her  that  we 
Chaldeans  hate  Assyria  more  than  do  the  Egyptians,  for  we 
endure  the  burden  of  its  rule;  but  still  we  recommend  to 
the  Egyptians  peace  with  that  bloodthirsty  nation.  Ten  years 
is  a  short  period ;  after  that  not  only  can  ye  regain  your  ancient 
place,  but  ye  can  save  us.'" 

"  That  is  true  !  "  added  Mefres. 

"Only  consider,"  continued  the  Chaldean,  i(  should  Assyria 
begin  war  with  you,  she  would  involve  also  Babylon,  which 
hates  warfare.  War  will  exhaust  our  wealth  and  stop  the  labor 
of  wisdom.  Even  were  ye  not  defeated  your  country  would  be 
ruined  for  a  long  period.  Ye  would  lose  not  only  people,  but 
the  fertile  soil,  which  would  be  buried  by  sand  in  the  absence 
of  earth-tillers." 

"We  understand  that,"  replied  Herhor;  "hence  we  have  no 
thought  of  attacking  Assyria.  But  Phoenicia  —  " 

"What  harm  will  it  be  to  you,"  asked  Beroes,  "if  the 
Assyrian  robber  squeezes  the  Phoenician  thief?  Your  mer 
chants  and  ours  will  gain  by  such  action.  But  if  ye  want 
Phoenicians,  let  them  settle  on  your  shores.  I  am  sure  that 
the  richest  and  most  adroit  of  them  would  flee  from  Assyrian 
conquest." 

"  What  would  happen  to  our  fleet,  if  the  Assyrians  settled  in 
Phoenicia?"  inquired  Herhor. 

"That  is  not  your  fleet,  but  the  Phoenician,"  replied  Beroes. 
"  When  Tyrian  and  Sidonian  ships  are  lost  to  you,  ye  will  build 
your  own,  and  exercise  Egyptians  in  navigation.  If  ye  have 
mind  and  a  practical  character,  ye  will  drive  out  Phoenician 
commerce  from  western  regions." 

Herhor  waved  his  hand. 

"  I  have  told  that  which  was  commanded  me,"  said  Beroes, 
"and  do  ye  that  which  pleaseth  you.  But  remember  that  ten 
evil  years  are  impending." 

11 


162  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

"It  seems  to  me.  holy  father,"  said  Pentuer,  "that  thou 
didst  speak  of  internal  troubles  which  threaten  Egypt  in  the 
future.  What  will  they  be,  if  it  please  thee  to  answer  thy 
servant?  " 

"Do  not  ask.  Those  are  things  which  ye  ought  to  know 
better  than  I,  who  am  a  stranger.  Clear  sight  will  discover 
the  disease,  and  experience  will  give  the  remedy." 

"Our  working  people  are  terribly  oppressed  by  the  great," 
whispered  Pentuer. 

"  Devotion  has  decreased,"  added  Mefres. 

"  There  are  many  who  sigh  for  a  foreign  war,"  began  Herhor. 
44 1  have  seen  this  long  time  that  we  cannot  carry  on  one,  unless 
ten  years  hence  —  " 

"  Then  will  ye  conclude  a  treaty  with  Assyria?  "  inquired  the 
Chaldean. 

"  Amon,  who  knows  my  heart,"  answered  Herhor,  "knows 
how  repugnant  that  treaty  is  to  me.  It  is  not  so  long  since 
those  vile  Assyrians  paid  us  tribute.  But  if  thou,  holy  father, 
and  the  highest  college  say  that  the  fates  are  against  us,  we 
must  make  the  treaty." 

"We  must  indeed,"  added  Mefres. 

"  In  that  case  inform  the  priests  in  Babylon  of  your  decision, 
and  they  will  arrange  that  King  Assar  shall  send  an  embassy 
to  Egypt.  This  treaty,  believe  me,  is  of  great  advantage ; 
without  war  ye  will  increase  your  possessions.  Indeed  our 
priesthood  have  given  deep  thought  to  this  question." 

"  May  all  blessings  fall  on  you,  wealth,  power,  and  wisdom," 
said  Mefres.  "  Yes,  we  must  raise  our  priestly  order,  and  do 
thou,  holy  Beroes,  assist  us." 

"There  is  need,  above  all,  to  assuage  the  suffering  of  the 
people,"  put  in  Pentuer. 

"  The  priests !  the  people !  "  said  Herhor,  as  if  to  himself. 
44  Above  all,  it  is  needful  in  this  case  to  restrain  those  who  wish 
war.  It  is  true  that  his  holiness  the  pharaoh  is  with  me,  and 
I  think  I  have  gained  influence  over  the  heir,  —  may  he  live 
through  eternity !  But  Nitager,  to  whom  war  is  as  water  to  a 
fish ;  but  the  leaders  of  our  mercenary  forces,  who  only  in  war 
have  significance ;  but  our  aristocracy,  who  think  that  war  will 
pay  Phoenician  debts  and  give  them  property  — " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  163 

"  Meanwhile  earth-tillers  are  fainting  beneath  an  avalanche 
of  labor,  and  public  workmen  are  revolting  against  demands  of 
overseers,"  added  Pentuer. 

"  He  is  always  expressing  his  thought !  "  said  Herhor,  in  medi 
tation.  "Think  thou,  Pentuer,  of  earth-tillers  and  laborers; 
thou,  Mefres,  of  the  priests.  I  know  not  what  ye  will  effect, 
but  I  swear  that  if  my  own  son  favored  war  I  would  bind  and 
destroy  him." 

"  Act  in  this  way,"  said  Beroes,  —  "let  him  carry  on  war  who 
wishes,  but  not  in  those  regions  where  he  can  meet  Assyria." 

With  this  the  session  ended.  The  Chaldean  put  his  scarf  on 
his  shoulder  and  the  veil  on  his  face ;  Mefres  and  Herhor,  one 
on  each  side  of  him,  and  behind  him  Pentuer,  all  turned  toward 
the  altar. 

When  Beroes  had  crossed  his  hands  on  his  breast,  he  whis 
pered,  and  again  subterranean  disturbance  set  in,  and  they 
heard  as  it  were  a  distant  uproar,  which  astonished  the 
assistants. 

"  Baralanensis,  Baldachiensis,  Paumachire,"  said  the  seer, 
aloud,  u  I  summon  thee  to  witness  our  stipulations  and  sup 
port  our  wishes." 

The  sound  of  trumpets  was  heard  so  distinctly  that  Mefres 
bowed  to  the  earth,  Herhor  looked  around  in  astonishment, 
while  Pentuer  knelt,  fell  to  trembling,  and  covered  his  ears. 

The  purple  curtain  at  the  altar  shook,  and  its  folds  took  such 
a  form  as  if  a  man  were  behind  who  wished  to  pass  through  it. 

"  Be  witnesses,"  cried  the  Chaldean,  in  a  changed  voice,  "  ye 
powers  above  and  ye  powers  beneath !  And  cursed  be  he  who 
observes  not  this  treaty  or  betrays  its  secret." 

"Cursed  !  "  repeated  some  voice. 

"  And  destroyed !  " 

"  And  destroyed." 

"  In  this  visible  and  in  that  invisible  life.  By  the  ineffable 
name  of  Jehovah,  at  the  sound  of  which  the  earth  trembles,  the 
sea  draws  back,  fire  quenches,  and  the  elements  of  nature  be 
come  evident." 

A  real  tempest  rose  in  the  cave.  The  sound  of  trumpets 
was  mingled  with  voices,  as  it  were,  of  distant  thunders. 

The  curtain  of  the  altar  rose  almost  horizontally,  and  behind 


164  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

it,  amid  glittering  lightning,  appeared  wonderful  creatures, 
half  human,  half  plant  and  animal,  crowded  and  mingled 
together. 

Suddenly  all  was  silent,  and  Beroes  rose  slowly  in  the  air, 
higher  than  the  heads  of  the  priests  there  attending. 

At  eight  o'clock  next  morning  Phut  of  Harran  returned  to 
the  Phoenician  inn  "Under  the  Ship"  to  which  his  bags  and 
casket  stolen  by  thieves  had  been  returned  safely.  A  few 
minutes  later  came  Asarhadon's  confidential  servant,  whom  the 
innkeeper  took  to  the  cellar  and  examined  briefly,  - 

44  Well?" 

"  I  was  all  night  on  the  square  where  the  temple  of  Set  is," 
answered  the  servant.  "  At  ten  in  the  evening  out  of  the  garden 
which  lies  about  four  places  farther  than  the  house  of  the 
'Green  Star,'  came  three  priests.  One  of  them,  with  black 
beard  and  hair,  turned  his  steps  through  the  square  toward  the 
temple  of  Set.  I  ran  after  him,  but  mist  fell,  and  he  vanished 
from  my  eyes.  Whether  he  returned  to  the  '  Green  Star '  or 
when,  I  know  not." 

The  innkeeper,  when  he  had  heard  this  account,  struck  his 
forehead  and  muttered  to  himself,  — 

"  So  my  man  from  Harran,  if  he  dresses  as  a  priest  and  goes 
to  a  temple,  must  be  a  priest ;  and  if  he  wears  beard  and  hair, 
he  must  bs  a  Chaldean  priest.  But  if  he  meets  priests  here  in 
secret,  there  must  be  some  rogue's  tricks.  I  will  not  tell  the 
police,  for  I  might  be  caught.  But  I  will  inform  some  great 
man  from  Sidon,  for  there  may  be  profit  in  this,  if  not  for  me, 
for  our  people." 

Soon  the  other  messenger  returned.  Asarhadon  went  down 
to  the  cellar  with  this  one  also,  and  heard  the  following 
narrative,  — 

"  I  stood  all  night  in  front  of  the  '  Green  Star.'  The  man 
of  Harran  was  there  ;  he  got  drunk  and  raised  such  shouts  that 
the  policeman  warned  the  doorkeeper." 

"Did  he?"  inquired  the  innkeeper.  "The  man  of  Harran 
was  at  the  '  Green  Star'  all  night,  and  thou  didst  see  him?  " 

"  Not  only  I,  but  the  policeman." 

Asarhadon  brought  down  the  first  servant,  and  commanded 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  165 

each  to  repeat  his  story.  They  repeated  the  stories  faithfully, 
with  the  utmost  conviction.  It  appeared  then  that  Phut  of 
Harran  had  remained  all  night  at  the  u  Green  Star"  without 
leaving  the  place  for  a  moment ;  at  the  same  time  he  went  to 
the  temple  of  Set,  and  did  not  return  from  it. 

"Oh,"  muttered  Asarhadon,  "  in  all  this  there  is  some  very 
great  villany.  I  must  inform  the  elders  of  the  Phoenician 
society,  as  quickly  as  possible,  that  this  Hittite  knows  how  to 
be  in  two  places  at  once.  I  shall  also  beg  him  to  move  out  of 
my  inn.  I  do  not  take  people  who  have  two  forms,  —  one  their 
own,  the  other  in  supply.  For  a  man  of  that  kind  is  a  great 
criminal,  a  wizard,  or  a  conspirator." 

Asarhadon  was  afraid  of  such  things ;  so  he  secured  himself 
against  enchantment  by  prayers  to  all  the  gods  which  adorned 
his  inn.  Then  he  hurried  to  the  city,  where  he  notified  the  elder 
of  the  Phoenician  society  and  the  elder  of  the  guild  of  thieves 
of  what  had  happened.  Then,  returning  home,  he  summoned 
the  decurion  of  police,  and  informed  him  that  Phut  might  be  a 
dangerous  person.  Finally  he  asked  the  man  of  Harran  to 
leave  the  inn,  to  which  he  brought  no  profit,  nothing  but  loss 
and  suspicion. 

Phut  agreed  to  the  proposition  willingly,  and  informed  the 
innkeeper  that  he  intended  to  sail  for  Thebes  that  same 
evening. 

"May  thou  never  return!"  thought  the  hospitable  host. 
"  May  thou  rot  in  the  quarries,  or  fall  into  the  river  to  be  eaten 
by  crocodiles." 


CHAPTER   XXI 

PRINCE  RAMESES  began  his  journey  in  the  most  beauti 
ful  season  of  the  year,  during  the  month  Phamenoth  (end 
of  December  and  beginning  of  January).  The  river  had  fallen 
to  half  its  height,  laying  bare  new  strips  of  land  day  by  day. 
From  Thebes  many  barges  with  wheat  were  sailing  down 
toward  the  sea ;  in  Lower  Egypt  clover  and  beans  had  been 
harvested.  Orange  and  pomegranate  trees  were  covered  with 
blossoms ;  in  the  fields  earth-tillers  had  sown  lupines,  fiax, 


166  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST 

barley,  and  had  planted  various   beans,  cucumbers, :  and  other 
garden  products. 

Escorted  to  the  landing  of  Memphis  by  priests,  the  highest 
dignitaries  of  the  state,  the  guards  of  his  holiness  the  pharaoh, 
the  heir  entered  a  gilded  barge  about  ten  in  the  morning. 
Under  the  bridge,  on  which  were  costly  tents,  twenty  soldiers 
worked  the  oars ,  at  the  mast  and  at  both  ends  of  the  boat  the 
best  naval  engineers  had  taken  their  places.  Some  looked 
after  the  sails,  others  commanded  the  rowers,  while  still  others 
steered  the  vessel. 

Rameses  had  invited  to  his  boat  the  most  worthy  high  priest 
Mefres  and  the  holy  father  Mentezufls,  who  were  to  be  with 
him  on  the  journey  and  in  governing.  The  prince  had  invited 
also  the  worthy  nomarch  of  Memphis,  who  conducted  him  to 
the  boundary  of  his  province. 

Some  hundreds  of  yards  in  front  of  the  viceroy  sailed  the 
beautiful  boat  of  the  worthy  Otoes,  nomarch  of  Aa,  a  province 
adjoining  the  capital.  Behind  the  prince  came  countless  barges 
occupied  by  the  court,  by  priests,  by  officials  and  officers. 

Provisions  and  servants  had  been  despatched  earlier. 

The  Nile  flows  to  Memphis  between  two  lines  of  moun 
tains.  Farther  the  mountains  turn  eastward  and  westward, 
and  the  river  divides  into  a  number  of  arms  in  which  the  water 
flows  through  a  broad  plain  to  the  Mediterranean. 

When  the  barge  had  pushed  away  from  the  landing,  the 
prince  wished  to  converse  with  Mefres,  the  high  priest.  But  at 
that  moment  such  a  shout  broke  forth  that  he  was  forced  to 
leave  his  tent  and  show  himself  to  the  people. 

The  uproar  grew  greater,  however,  instead  of  subsiding.  On 
both  shores  stood  and  increased  every  moment  throngs  of  half- 
naked  laborers,  or  people  of  the  city  dressed  in  holiday  gar 
ments.  Very  many  had  garlands  on  their  heads,  almost  all 
held  green  branches  in  their  hands.  Some  groups  sang ;  among 
others  were  heard  the  beating  of  drums  and  the  sound  of  flutes. 

Well-sweeps  planted  thickly  along  the  river  with  buckets 
stood  idle,  but  on  the  Nile  circled  a  swarm  of  small  boats, 
the  occupants  of  which  cast  flowers  at  the  barge  of  the  viceroy. 
Some  of  them  sprang  into  the  water  and  swam  after  the 
vessel. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  167 

44  They  greet  me  as  they  would  his  holiness,"  thought  the 
viceroy. 

And  great  pride  possessed  his  heart  at  sight  of  so  many 
stately  barges  which  he  could  detain  at  one  sweep  of  the  hand, 
and  those  thousands  who  had  left  their  occupations  and  ran  the 
risk  even  of  death  just  to  see  his  divine  countenance. 

Rameses  was  delighted,  especially  by  that  immense  shout 
which  rose  from  the  people  without  ceasing  for  an  instant. 
That  shout  filled  his  breast,  rose  to  his  head,  exalted  him.  It 
seemed  to  the  prince  that  if  he  should  spring  from  the  barge  he 
would  not  touch  water,  for  the  enthusiasm  of  the  multitude 
would  seize  him  and  bear  him  aloft  above  the  earth,  as  a  bird 
is  borne  in  flying. 

The  barge  approached  the  left  bank  somewhat ;  the  forms  of 
people  were  outlined  more  clearly,  and  the  prince  saw  some 
thing  which  he  had  not  expected.  While  persons  in  the  first 
ranks  were  clapping  their  hands  and  singing,  in  farther  ones 
clubs  were  visible  falling  thickly  and  swiftly  on  backs  that 
were  hidden. 

The  astonished  heir  turned  to  the  nomarch  of  Memphis. 

"  But  look,  worthiness,  sticks  are  at  work  there." 

The  nomarch  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  his  neck  be 
came  red.  "Pardon,  most  worthy  prince,  but  I  see  badly." 

"  They  are  beating  —  surely  they  are  beating !  " 

"  That  is  possible,"  answered  the  nomarch.  "Undoubtedly 
the  priests  have  caught  a  band  of  thieves  there." 

Not  over-pleased  with  this  conversation,  the  heir  went  toward 
the  stern  to  the  engineers,  who  turned  the  barge  suddenly 
toward  the  middle  of  the  river,  and  from  that  point  he  looked 
back  at  Memphis. 

Both  banks  higher  up  the  Nile  were  almost  deserted,  the 
boats  had  disappeared,  the  well-sweeps  were  moving  as  if  noth 
ing  had  happened. 

"  Is  the  solemnity  over?  "  inquired  the  prince  of  an  engineer, 
pointing  to  a  higher  place  on  the  river. 

"  It  is.  The  people  have  returned  to  their  work,"  said  the 
engineer. 

"Very  quickly." 

"They  must  recover  lost  time,"  said  the  engineer,  in 
cautiously. 


168  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  heir  quivered,  and  looked  at  the  man  sharply.  But  he 
calmed  himself  soon  and  returned  to  the  tent.  For  him  shouts 
were  of  no  further  interest.  He  was  gloomy  and  silent.  After 
an  outburst  of  pride,  he  felt  contempt  for  that  throng  which 
passed  so  promptly  from  enthusiasm  to  well-sweeps  and  baling 
up  muddy  water. 

At  that  point  the  Nile  begins  to  separate  into  branches. 
The  barge  of  the  chief  of  Aa  turned  toward  the  west,  sailed  an 
hour,  and  stopped  at  the  river  bank.  The  crowds  were  still 
greater  than  at  Memphis.  A  multitude  of  pillars  had  been  set 
up  with  banners  and  triumphal  arches  entwined  with  green 
garlands.  Among  the  people  foreign  faces  and  garments  were 
more  and  more  frequent. 

When  the  prince  landed,  the  priests  approached  with  a  bal 
dachin,  and  the  worthy  notnarch  Otoes  began,  — 

4 '  Be  greeted,  viceroy  of  the  divine  pharaoh,  within  the  bor 
ders  of  Aa.  As  a  sign  of  thy  favor,  which  for  us  is  as  heav 
enly  dew,  be  pleased  to  make  an  offering  to  the  god  Ptah,  who 
is  our  patron,  and  take  under  thy  protection  and  control  this 
province,  with  its  temples,  officials,  people,  cattle,  grain,  and  all 
that  is  here  existent." 

Then  he  presented  a  group  of  young  exquisites,  fragrant, 
rouged,  arrayed  in  gold-embroidered  garments.  Those  were 
the  remoter  and.  nearer  relatives  of  the  nomarch,  the  local 
aristocracy. 

Rameses  looked  at  them  with  attention. 

u  Aha!  "  said  he.  "  It  seemed  to  me  that  these  gentlemen 
lacked  something,  and  now  I  see  what  it  is,  —  they  have  no 
wigs." 

"  Because  thou,  most  worthy  prince,  dost  not  wear  wigs,  our 
young  men  have  vowed  not  to  wear  them,"  replied  the  nomarch. 

After  this  explanation  one  of  the  young  men  stood  behind 
the  prince  with  a  fan,  another  with  a  shield,  a  third  with  a  dart, 
and  the  procession  began.  The  heir  walked  under  the  bal 
dachin,  before  him  a  priest  with  a  tube  in  which  incense  was 
burning ;  there  were  maidens  also  who  scattered  roses  on  the 
path  over  which  the  prince  was  to  travel. 

The  people  in  holiday  garments,  with  branches  in  their  hands, 
formed  a  line  and  shouted  ;  they  sang  songs,  or  prostrated  them- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  169 

selves  before  the  lieutenant  of  the  pharaoh.  But  the  prince 
saw  that  in  spite  of  the  loud  sounds  of  joy  their  faces  were 
unenlivened  and  anxious.  He  saw  also  that  the  crowd  was 
divided  into  groups  which  people  of  some  sort  were  directing, 
and  that  the  rejoicing  took  place  by  command.  And  again  he 
felt  in  his  heart  a  chill  of  contempt  for  that  throng  which  knew 
not  how  to  rejoice  even. 

Gradually  the  retinue  approached  the  walled  column  which 
indicated  the  boundary  between  Aa  and  Memphis.  On  three 
sides  of  the  column  were  inscriptions  describing  the  extent  of 
the  province,  its  population,  and  the  number  of  its  cities  ;  on 
the  fourth  side  was  a  statue  of  Ptah,  surrounded  from  foot  to 
breast  with  an  envelope ;  he  had  the  usual  cap  on  his  head  and 
a  staff  in  his  hand. 

One  of  the  priests  gave  the  prince  a  golden  spoon  with  burn 
ing  incense.  The  heir  uttered  prescribed  prayers,  whirled  the 
censer  to  the  height  of  the  divinity's  head,  and  bowed  low  a 
number  of  times  in  succession. 

The  shouts  of  the  people  and  of  the  priests  rose  ever  higher, 
though  among  youthful  exquisites  smiles  and  jests  were  observ 
able.  Since  his  reconciliation  with  Herhor  the  prince  had 
shown  great  respect  for  gods  and  priests ;  so  he  frowned  some 
what.  In  one  moment  the  young  men  changed  their  bearing. 
All  became  serious,  while  some  fell  on  their  faces  before  the 
column. 

"Indeed,"  thought  the  prince,  "people  of  noble  birth  are 
better  than  that  rabble.  Whatever  nobles  do  they  do  it  with 
spirit,  not  like  those  who  make  an  uproar  in  my  honor  but  are 
glad  to  hurry  back  to  their  workshops  and  stables." 

Now  he  measured  better  than  ever  the  distance  between  him 
and  the  lowest  people,  and  he  understood  that  the  aristocracy 
was  the  only  class  to  which  he  was  bound  by  a  community  of 
feeling.  If  suddenly  they  should  vanish,  those  Stately  young 
men  and  beautiful  women  whose  flashing  glances  followed 
every  one  of  his  movements,  so  as  to  serve  him  straightway  and 
carry  out  his  orders,  —  if  they  should  vanish,  the  prince  would 
feel  more  alone  among  the  countless  throngs  of  people  than  in 
a  desert. 

Eight  negroes  brought  a  litter  adorned  above  the  baldachin 


170  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

with  ostrich  feathers  ;  the  prince  took  his  place  in  it,  and  ad 
vanced  to  the  capital  of  Sochem,  where  he  dwelt  in  a  government 
palace. 

The  prince's  stay  in  that  province,  which  was  only  a  few  miles 
from  Memphis,  lasted  a  month.  All  this  time  he  passed  in  re 
ceiving  petitions,  in  accepting  homage,  in  official  receptions,  and 
at  feasts. 

The  feasts  were  of  two  kinds,  —  one  in  the  palace,  at  which 
the  aristocracy  were  present;  the  other  in  the  outer  court,  where 
whole  oxen  were  roasted,  loaves  of  bread  were  eaten  by  the 
hundred,  and  hundreds  of  pitchers  of  beer  drunk.  At  these 
appeared  servants  of  the  prince  and  the  lower  officials  of  the 
province. 

Rameses  admired  the  munificence  of  the  nomarch,  and  the 
affection  of  the  great  lords  around  him,  alert  to  every  beck  of 
his  and  ready  to  carry  out  his  orders. 

Wearied  at  last  by  amusements,  Rameses  declared  to  the 
worthy  Otoes  that  he  wished  to  become  more  nearly  acquainted 
with  the  management  of  the  province,  for  he  had  received  a 
command  from  his  holiness  the  pharaoh  to  study  it. 

His  desire  was  satisfied.  The  nomarch  requested  the  prince 
to  sit  in  a  litter  borne  by  only  two  men,  and  with  a  great  retinue 
escorted  him  to  the  temple  of  Hator.  There  the  retinue  re 
mained  in  the  antechamber,  but  the  nomarch  commanded  the 
bearers  to  carry  the  prince  to  the  summit  of  a  pylon,  which  he 
himself  ascended. 

From  the  summit  of  a  tower,  ninety  feet  high,  whence 
priests  observed  the  sky  and  communicated  through  colored 
flags  with  the  neighboring  temples  in  Memphis,  Atribis,  and 
Ann,  the  eye  surveyed  in  the  radius  of  some  miles  almost  a 
whole  province. 

From  that  place,  too,  the  worthy  Otoes  showed  Rameses  the 
fields  and  vineyards  of  the  pharaoh;  he  showed  what  canal  they 
were  clearing,  what  sluice  they  were  repairing ;  he  showed  fur 
naces  for  smelting  copper  ;  he  showed  where  the  royal  granaries 
stood,  where  the  lotus  and  papyrus  swamps  were,  what  fields 
were  covered  with  sand,  and  so  on  till  he  had  finished. 

Rameses  was  charmed  with  the  beautiful  view,  and  thanked 
Otoes  warmly  for  the  pleasure  which  he  experienced.  But  when 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  171 

he  returned  to  the  palace,  and,  according  to  the  advice  of  the 
pharaoh,  noted  impressions,  he  convinced  himself  that  his 
knowledge  of  the  economic  conditions  of  Aa  had  not  widened. 

After  some  days  he  asked  explanations  again  of  Otoes  touch 
ing  the  administration  of  the  province.  The  worthy  lord  com 
manded  all  the  officials  to  assemble  and  pass  before  the  prince, 
who  sat  in  the  main  court  on  an  elevation. 

Before  the  viceroy  moved  great  and  petty  treasurers ;  scribes 
of  grain,  wine,  cattle,  woollen  stuffs;  chief  masons,  ditch-diggers, 
naval  and  land  engineers,  healers  of  various  diseases,  officers 
over  regiments  of  laborers,  police  scribes,  judges,  inspectors 
of  prisons,  even  executioners  and  dissectors.  After  them  the 
worthy  nomarch  presented  the  prince's  own  officials  in  that 
province  to  him.  Rameses  learned  therefore,  with  no  small  as 
tonishment,  that  in  Aa  and  in  the  city  of  Sochem  he  had  his 
own  personal  charioteer,  torch-bearer,  shield-bearer,  dart-bearer, 
mace-bearer,  some  tens  of  litter-bearers,  a  number  of  cooks, 
cup-bearers,  barbers,  and  many  other  servitors  distinguished  for 
attachment  and  faithfulness,  though  he  had  not  even  heard 
their  names  and  did  not  know  them. 

Tortured  and  tired  by  a  barren  review  of  officials,  the 
prince's  courage  fell.  He  was  terrified  by  the  thought  that  he 
understood  nothing,  hence  was  unfitted  to  rule ;  but  he  feared 
to  confess  this  even  to  himself. 

If  Rarneses  could  not  rule  Egypt,  and  others  were  able  to 
rule  it,  what  remained  to  him?  Nothing  but  death.  Without 
the  throne  he  could  have  no  happiness.  He  felt  that  for  him 
life  would  be  impossible  unless  he  had  power. 

But  when  he  had  rested  a  few  days,  in  so  far  as  rest  was  at 
tainable  in  that  chaos  of  court  life,  he  summoned  Otoes,  and 
said  to  him,  — 

"  Worthiness,  I  have  begged  thee  to  acquaint  me  with  the 
secret  of  governing  Aa.  Thou  hast  done  so,  thou  hast  shown 
me  the  country  and  the  officials,  but  still  I  know  nothing.  On 
the  contrary,  I  am  like  a  man  in  the  underground  divisions  of 
a  temple  who  sees  so  many  passages  about  him  that  he  is  un 
able  at  last  to  find  his  way  out  into  daylight." 

The  nomarch  was  confused. 

41  What  am  I  to  do?  "  asked  he.     "  What  dost  thou  wish  of 


172  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

me,  O  ruler?     Only  say  the  word  and  I  will  yield  to  thee  office, 
property,  even  life." 

And,  seeing  that  the  prince  received  this  assurance  with  gra- 
ciousness,  he  continued,  — 

"  During  thy  journey  thou  hast  seen  the  people  of  this  prov 
ince.  Thou  wilt  say  that  all  were  not  present.  Agreed.  I  will 
command  all  to  assemble,  and  they  are,  men,  women,  old  men, 
and  children,  about  two  hundred  thousand.  From  the  summit 
of  the  pylon  thou  wert  pleased  to  survey  our  whole  province. 
But  if  it  be  thy  wish,  we  can  examine  from  near  by  every  field, 
every  village,  and  every  street  of  the  city  of  Sochem.  Finally 
I  have  shown  thee  the  officials ;  it  is  true,  the  very  lowest  were 
absent.  But  command  and  all  will  stand  before  thee  to-morrow 
and  fall  on  their  faces.  What  am  I  to  do  more?  Tell  me,  most 
worthy  lord." 

"  I  believe  that  thou  art  most  faithful,"  answered  Rameses. 
"Therefore  explain  to  me  two  things :  first,  why  has  the  in 
come  of  his  holiness  diminished?  second,  what  art  thou  doing 
thyself  in  the  province  ?  " 

Otoes  was  confused,  and  the  prince  added  quickly,  — 

u  I  wish  to  know  what  thou  art  doing  here,  and  by 
what  methods,  since  I  am  young  and  only  commencing  to 
govern." 

"  Thou  hast  the  wisdom  of  a  century,"  whispered  the  no- 
march. 

"Therefore  it  is  proper,"  continued  the  prince,  "that  I 
should  ask  men  of  experience  and  that  thou  shouldst  give  me 
knowledge." 

"  I  will  show  thee  all,  and  give  every  explanation,"  said  Otoes. 
"  But  we  should  go  to  a  place  where  there  is  no  uproar." 

In  fact,  in  the  palace  which  the  prince  occupied  as  many 
people  thronged  in  the  inner  and  outer  court  as  at  a  fair. 
They  ate,  drank,  sang,  raced  or  rested,  and  all  this  to  enhance 
the  glory  of  the  viceroy  whom  they  were  serving. 

About  three  in  the  afternoon,  the  nomarch  gave  command  to 
bring  two  horses,  and  with  the  prince  he  rode  forth  from  the 
city  westward.  The  court  remained  in  the  palace  and  amused 
itself  with  still  greater  gladness. 

The  day  was  beautiful,  cool ;  the   earth   was  covered   with 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  173 

plants  and  flowers.  Over  the  heads  of  the  horsemen  were 
heard  the  songs  of  birds,  the  air  was  full  of  fragrance. 

"  How  pleasant  it  is  here!"  exclaimed  Rameses.  "  Now  I 
am  able  to  collect  my  thoughts  for  the  first  time  in  a  month. 
I  had  begun  to  think  that  a  whole  regiment  of  chariots  had 
assembled  in  my  head,  and  that  from  morning  till  evening 
reviews  were  held  there." 

"  Such  is  the  fate  of  a  ruler  in  this  world,"  said  the  nomarch. 

They  halted  on  an  eminence.  At  their  feet  lay  an  immense 
meadow,  cut  through  by  a  blue  stream.  On  the  north  and  on 
the  south  were  white  walls  of  towns ;  beyond  the  meadow  on  the 
rim  of  the  horizon  extended  the  reddish  sands  of  the  western 
desert,  from  which  came  an  occasional  breath  of  heated  air,  as 
if  from  a  furnace. 

On  the  meadow  were  countless  herds  of  animals,  —  horned  and 
hornless  oxen,  sheep,  goats,  asses,  antelopes,  even  rhinoceroses. 

Here  and  there  were  visible  swampy  places  covered  with 
water  plants  and  reeds  in  which  were  teeming  wild  geese, 
ducks,  doves,  storks,  pelicans,  and  ibises. 

"Behold,  lord,"  said  Otoes,  "a  picture  of  our  country, 
Quench,  Egypt.  Osiris  fell  in  love  with  this  strip  of  land  in 
the  midst  of  deserts  ;  he  covered  it  with  plants  and  living 
creatures,  so  as  to  have  from  them  profit.  Then  the  kindly 
god  took  a  human  form  and  became  the  first  pharaoh.  When 
he  felt  that  his  body  was  withering,  he  left  it  and  entered  into 
his  son,  and  later  on  into  his  son's  son. 

"  Thus  Osiris  lives  among  us,  since  the  beginning  of  ages,  as 
pharaoh,  and  he  gains  profit  from  Egypt  and  its  wealth  which 
he  himself  created.  The  lord  has  extended  like  a  mighty  tree. 
All  the  pharaohs  are  his  roots,  the  nomarchs  and  priests  his 
larger  branches,  the  nobles  the  smaller  branches.  The  visible 
god  sits  on  the  throne  of  the  earth  and  receives  the  income 
which  belongs  to  him  from  Egypt;  the  invisible  god  receives 
offerings  in  the  temples,  and  declares  his  will  through  the  lips 
of  the  priesthood." 

"  Thou  utterest  truth,"  said  the  viceroy.  "  Thus  is  it 
written." 

"Since  Osiris  the  pharaoh,"  continued  the  nomarch,  "  can- 
ot  himself  be  occupied  in  the  management  of  the  country,  he 


174  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

has  appointed  us  nomarchs,  who  come  of  his  blood,  to  watch 
over  his  property." 

''That  is  true,"  said  Rameses.  "Sometimes  even  the  sun 
god  becomes  incarnate  in  a  nomarch  and  begins  a  new  dynasty. 
Thus  rose  the  dynasties  of  Memphis,  Elephantina,  Thebes,  and 
Ksoi." 

"Thou  hast  said  it,"  continued  Otoes.  "But  now  I  will 
answer  that  which  thou  hast  asked  of  me. 

"  Thou  hast  asked  what  I  do  in  this  province?  I  guard  the 
property  of  Osiris,  the  pharaoh,  and  my  own  part  in  it.  Look 
at  those  flocks ;  thou  seest  various  animals.  Some  give  milk, 
others  flesh,  others  wool  and  skins.  The  people  of  Egypt  give 
wheat,  wine,  woollen  stuffs,  vessels,  houses.  My  affair  is  to 
take  from  each  what  he  should  give,  and  lay  it  down  at  the 
feet  of  the  pharaoh." 

"  In  watching  over  the  numerous  herds  I  could  not  succeed 
alone  ;  so  I  have  chosen  watchful  dogs  and  wise  shepherd*}. 
Some  of  my  servants  milk  animals,  shear  them,  remove  their 
skins ;  others  watch  them  so  that  thieves  may  not  steal  or  the 
plunderer  injure.  So  with  the  province.  I  could  not  collect  all 
the  taxes  and  guard  men  from  evil ;  hence  I  have  officials  who 
do  what  is  proper,  and  render  account  of  their  action  — 

"All  this  is  true,"  interrupted  the  prince.  "I  know  and 
understand  what  thou  sayest.  But  I  cannot  comprehend  why 
the  income  of  his  holiness  decreases,  though  guarded  well,  as 
thou  hast  told  me." 

"  Be  pleased  to  remember,"  continued  the  nomarch,  "that 
Set,  though  a  full  brother  of  the  radiant  Osiris,  hates  that  god, 
wars  with  him,  and  deforms  all  his  labors.  He  sends  deadly 
diseases  on  beasts  and  on  men ;  he  causes  the  overflow  of  the 
Nile  to  be  scant  or  over- violent,  and  he  hurls  clouds  of  sand  in 
time  of  heat  upon  Egypt. 

"  When  a  year  is  good,  the  Nile  reaches  the  desert ;  when  it 
is  bad,  the  desert  comes  down  to  the  Nile,  and  then  the  royal 
income  decreases. 

"Look!"  continued  he,  pointing  at  the  meadow.  "The 
flocks  there  are  numerous,  but  in  my  youth  they  were  greater 
in  number.  But  who  is  the  cause  of  this?  No  other  than  Set, 
whom  human  power  cannot  vanquish.  This  meadow,  great  to- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  175 

day,  was  once  greater,  and  from  this  spot  they  could  not  see  the 
desert,  which  now  is  a  terror. 

"  When  the  gods  are  battling,  men  can  do  nothing ;  where  Set 
conquers  Osiris,  who  can  bar  the  way  to  him?" 

The  worthy  Otoes  finished ;  the  prince  hung  his  head.  In 
school  he  had  heard  not  a  little  about  the  love  of  Osiris  and 
the  malice  of  Set,  and  while  still  a  child  he  was  angry  that  no 
one  had  forced  Set  to  a  final  reckoning. 

"  When  I  grow  up,"  thought  he  at  that  time,  "  and  carry  a 
javelin,  I  will  seek  out  Set  and  we  will  make  a  trial." 

And  he  was  looking  now  at  that  measureless  sand  space, 
that  kingdom  of  the  ominous  godhead  which  was  decreasing 
the  income  of  Egypt ;  but  he  had  no  thought  to  do  battle  with 
Set.  For  how  can  man  fight  with  the  desert?  Man  can  only 
avoid  it  or  perish. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

HIS  stay  in  Aa  had  so  wearied  Rameses  that  to  seek  rest 
and  rally  his  thoughts  he  commanded  to  stop  all  solemni 
ties  in  his  honor,  and  directed  that  during  his  journey  people 
should  never  come  forth  to  greet  him. 

The  prince's  retinue  were  astonished,  even  somewhat  of 
fended  ;  but  they  carried  out  the  command,  and  Rameses 
again  found  some  quiet.  He  had  time  to  review  his  troops, 
which  was  his  most  agreeable  occupation,  and  he  could  collect 
his  scattered  thoughts  in  some  measure. 

Shut  up  in  the  remotest  corner  of  the  palace,  the  prince  began 
to  consider  how  far  he  had  carried  out  the  commands  of  the 
pharaoh  his  father. 

He  had  surveyed  Aa  with  his  own  eyes,  —  its  fields,  towns, 
population,  officials.  He  had  verified  the  fact  that  the  eastern 
edge  of  the  province  was  yielding  to  the  advance  of  the  desert. 
He  had  observed  that  laborers  were  indifferent  and  stupid.;  that 
they  did  only  what  was  commanded,  and  that  with  unwilling 
ness.  Finally,  he  had  convinced  himself  that  really  faithful 
and  loving  subjects  were  to  be  found  only  among  the  aristoc 
racy,  for  they  were  related  to  the  family  of  the  pharaohs,  or 


176  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

were  of  the  noble  order,  and  were  grandsons  of  the  men  who 
had  fought  under  the  great  Rameses. 

In  every  case  those  people  rallied  to  the  dynasty  heartily, 
and  were  ready  to  serve  it  with  genuine  readiness;  not  like 
the  low  people,  who  when  they  had  shouted  a  greeting  ran  back 
with  all  speed  to  their  pigs  and  their  oxen. 

But  the  chief  object  of  his  mission  was  not  explained  yet. 
Rameses  not  only  did  not  see  clearly  causes  for  the  decrease  of 
the  royal  income,  but  he  did  not  know  how  to  formulate  this 
question:  Why  is  there  evil,  and  how  can  we  correct  it?  He 
only  felt  that  the  legendary  war  of  the  god  Set  with  Osiris 
furnished  no  true  explanation,  and  gave  no  means  of  cure 
whatever. 

But  the  prince,  as  the  coming  pharaoh,  wished  to  have  a 
great  income,  like  that  of  former  rulers  in  Egypt.  He  was 
boiling  with  anger  at  the  very  thought  that  when  he  had 
mounted  the  throne  he  would  be  as  poor  as  his  father  and 
perhaps  even  poorer. 

"  Never  ! "  cried  the  prince,  balling  his  fists. 

To  increase  the  royal  property  he  was  ready  to  rush  sword  in 
hand  against  Set  and  hew  that  god  into  pieces,  as  Set  had  hewn 
his  own  brother  Osiris.  But  instead  of  the  cruel  divinity  and 
his  legions  he  saw  around  him  ignorance,  the  desert,  and 
silence. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  struggles  with  his  own  thoughts, 
he  seized  once  the  high  priest  Mefres. 

"Tell  me,  holy  father,  to  whom  all  wisdom  is  familiar,  why 
does  the  income  of  the  state  decrease,  and  in  what  manner  can 
we  add  to  it?" 

Mefres  raised  his  hands. 

"May  the  spirit  be  blessed,  worthy  lord,"  cried  the  priest, 
11  which  whispered  such  thoughts  to  thee.  Oh,  mayest  thou 
follow  in  the  steps  of  mighty  pharaohs  who  built  temples  in  all 
parts  of  Egypt,  and  through  canals  and  sluices  increased  the 
area  of  fertile  land  in  this  country." 

The  old  man  was  so  moved  that  he  fell  to  weeping. 

"First  of  all,"  said  the  prince,  "answer  what  I  ask;  for 
how  think  of  temples  and  canals  when  the  treasury  is  empty? 
The  greatest  misfortune  has  befallen  Egypt:  its  rulers  are 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  177 

threatened  with  indigence.  We  must  examine  this,  first  of  all, 
and  cure  it;  after  that  the  rest  will  come  easily." 

"This,  prince,  thou  wilt  learn  only  in  temples,  at  the  foot 
of  the  altar,"  said  the  high  priest.  "There  alone  can  thy  noble 
curiosity  be  pacified." 

Rameses  started  up  with  impatience. 

"Before  thy  eyes,  worthy  father,  the  temple  hides  the  whole 
country,  even  the  treasury  of  the  pharaoh.  I  am,  for  that 
matter,  a  priestly  pupil.  I  was  reared  in  the  shadow  of  a 
temple,  I  know  the  secret  of  the  spectacles  in  which  the  malice 
of  Set  is  represented,  with  the  death  and  re-birth  of  Osiris,  and 
what  does  that  profit  me  ?  When  my  father  asks  how  to  replen 
ish  the  treasury,  I  can  give  him  no  answer.  Should  I  persuade 
him  to  pray  longer  and  oftener  than  he  does  at  the  present?  " 

"Prince,  thou  art  blaspheming,  thou  knowest  not  the  high 
ceremonies  of  religion.  If  thou  knew  them  thou  couldst 
answer  many  questions  which  torment  thee;  and  hadst  thou 
seen  that  which  I  have,  thou  wouldst  know  that  the  highest 
interest  of  Egypt  is  to  support  priests  and  temples." 

"Men  in  old  age  become  children,"  thought  Rameses;  and 
he  stopped  the  conversation. 

Mefres  had  been  very  pious  at  all  times,  but  he  had  then 
grown  eccentric. 

"I  should  end  well,"  thought  Rameses,  "if  I  yielded  to 
priests  and  assisted  at  puerile  ceremonies.  Perhaps  Mefres 
would  even  command  me  to  stand  for  whole  hours  at  an 
altar,  as  he  himself  does,  beyond  doubt,  while  expecting  a 
miracle." 

In  the  month  Pharmuthi  (end  of  January  and  beginning  of 
February)  the  prince  took  leave  of  Otoes,  before  starting  for 
Hak,  the  next  province.  He  thanked  the  nomarchs  and  lords 
for  their  splendid  reception,  but  at  heart  he  was  sad,  for  he 
knew  that  he  had  not  mastered  the  problem  put  forth  by  his 
father. 

Escorted  by  the  family  and  court  of  Otoes,  the  prince  with 
his  retinue  crossed  to  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  where  he  was 
greeted  by  Ranuzer,  the  worthy  nomarch,  together  with  the 
lords  and  the  priests  of  his  province. 

When  the  prince  reached  the  land  of  Hak,  the  priests  raised 

12 


178  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

a  statue  of  Atmu,  patron  god  of  the  province,  and  the  officials 
fell  prostrate;  then  the  nomarch  brought  a  golden  sickle  to 
Rameses,  and  begged  him  to  open  the  harvest  as  viceroy  of  the 
pharaoh,  that  being  the  time  to  gather  in  barley. 

Rameses  took  the  sickle,  cut  a  couple  of  handfuls  of  ears,  and 
burnt  them  with  incense  before  the  god  the  guardian  of  the 
boundaries.  After  him  the  nomarch  and  the  great  lords  cut 
barley  also,  and  at  last  harvesters  fell  to  reaping.  They  cut 
only  ears,  which  they  packed  into  bags  ;  the  straw  remained  on 
the  field  behind  them. 

When  he  had  heard  a  tedious  service  before  the  god,  the 
prince  mounted  a  two-wheeled  car,  a  division  of  the  army 
moved  on,  and  the  priests  followed.  Two  lords  led  the  horses 
of  the  heir  by  the  bridles.  After  the  heir,  on  a  second  car, 
rode  the  nomarch,  and  next  an  immense  train  of  lords  and 
court  servitors.  The  people,  agreeable  to  the  will  of  Rameses, 
did  not  present  themselves,  but  laborers  in  the  fields,  at  sight 
of  the  procession,  fell  on  their  faces. 

In  this  manner  when  he  had  passed  a  number  of  pontoon 
bridges  thrown  over  arms  of  the  Nile  and  canals,  the  prince 
reached  toward  evening  the  city  of  Anu,  the  capital. 

For  some  days  feasts  of  greeting  continued ;  they  rendered 
homage  to  the  heir,  and  presented  officials.  At  last  Rameses 
begged  to  interrupt  the  festivities,  and  requested  the  nomarch 
to  acquaint  him  with  the  wealth  of  the  province. 

Next  morning  the  review  began,  and  lasted  a  fortnight. 
Every  day  in  the  court  of  that  palace  where  the  heir  had  his 
residence  appeared  various  guilds  of  craftsmen.  These  came 
under  command  of  guild  officers,  to  exhibit  their  productions. 
In  turn  came  armorers  and  swordsmiths,  makers  of  spears  and 
axes,  manufacturers  of  musical  instruments,  —  fifes,  trumpets, 
drums,  harps.  After  these  came  the  great  guild  of  cabinet 
makers,  who  exhibited  armchairs,  tables,  coaches,  litters,  and 
carriages,  ornamented  with  rich  drawings,  made  of  various 
wood,  mother-of-pearl,  and  ivory;  then  they  brought  kitchen 
utensils,  things  for  the  fire,  —  spits,  two-eared  pots,  and  flat 
pans  with  covers  ;  jewellers  rivalled  one  another  with  gold  rings 
of  wonderful  beauty,  amber  bracelets  and  anklets,  or  chains 
made  of  gold  mixed  with  silver.  All  these  were  carved  with 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  179 

artistic  skill,  and  inlaid  with  precious  stones  or  enamel  of 
various  colors. 

The  procession  was  closed  by  potters  who  carried  more  than 
a  hundred  kinds  of  earthen  vessels.  They  brought  vases,  pots, 
plates,  pitchers,  and  jugs  of  the  most  varied  forms  and  sizes, 
covered  with  paintings  ornamented  with  beast  and  bird  heads. 

Each  guild  made  an  offering  to  the  prince  of  its  most  beauti 
ful  productions.  These  filled  a  large  hall,  though  among  them 
no  two  things  were  similar. 

At  the  end  of  the  curious  but  interesting  exhibition,  his 
worthiness  Ranuzer  asked  the  prince  if  he  was  satisfied. 

The  heir  thought  awhile. 

"  More  beautiful  things  I  have  not  seen  except  in  the  temples 
or  in  the  palaces  of  my  father.  But  since  only  rich  people  can 
buy  them,  I  do  not  see  how  the  state  treasury  can  have  much 
profit  from  those  objects." 

The  nomarch  was  astonished  at  the  young  lord's  indifference, 
and  was  alarmed  by  his  anxiety  about  income ;  but  wishing  to 
satisfy  Rameses,  he  began  then  to  conduct  him  through  the  royal 
factories. 

One  day  they  went  to  buildings  where  slaves  were  grinding 
flour  in  many  hundred  hand-mills  and  in  mortars.  They  went 
to  bakeries  where  men  were  baking  bread  and  rusks  to  feed  the 
army,  and  to  places  where  preserved  fish  and  meat  were  in 
course  of  preparation.  They  examined  great  tanneries,  and 
shops  where  sandals  were  made,  foundries  where  copper  was 
cast  into  arms  and  utensils.  After  that,  brickyards,  guilds  of 
weavers  and  tailors. 

These  establishments  were  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
city.  Rameses  at  first  looked  at  them  with  interest,  but  very 
soon  he  was  disgusted  with  the  sight  of  laborers  who  were 
timid,  lean,  sickly  in  complexion,  and  who  had  scars  left  by 
sticks  on  their  shoulders.  Thenceforth  he  stopped  only  briefly 
at  factories.  He  preferred  to  look  at  the  environs  of  the  city 
of  Anu.  Far  to  the  east  he  could  see  the  desert  where  a  year 
earlier  the  manoeuvres  had  taken  place  between  his  corps  and 
Nitager's.  He  saw,  like  a  thing  on  the  palm  of  his  hand,  the 
road  by  which  his  regiments  had  marched,  the  place  where 
because  of  the  beetles  the  military  engines  had  to  turn  to  the 


180  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

desert,  and  perhaps  even  the  tree  on  which  the  canal  digger  had 
hanged  himself. 

From  that  elevation  over  there  in  company  with  Tutmosis  he 
had  looked  at  the  blooming  land  of  Goshen  and  cursed  the 
priesthood.  And  there  among  the  hills  he  had  met  Sarah, 
toward  whom  his  heart  had  flamed  up  on  a  sudden. 

To-day  what  changes !  He  had  ceased  to  hate  the  priests 
from  the  hour  that  by  the  influence  of  Herhor  he  had  received 
the  army  corps  and  the  office  of  viceroy.  He  had  become  in 
different  to  Sarah,  but  that  child  whose  mother  she  would  be 
grew  to  him  more  and  more  important. 

"What  is  she  doing  there?"  thought  the  prince.  "I  have 
not  had  news  from  her  this  long  time." 

While  he  was  looking  on  those  eastern  hills  in  this  way,  and 
thinking  of  the  recent  past,  Ranuzer  at  the  head  of  his  escort 
felt  certain  that  the  prince  had  observed  abuses  in  the  factories 
and  was  meditating  over  means  of  punishment. 

"I  am  curious  to  know  what  he  discovered,"  thought  the 
worthy  nomarch.  "Is  it  that  half  the  bricks  are  sold  to 
the  Phoenicians,  or  that  ten  thousand  sandals  are  lacking  in 
the  factory,  or  perhaps  some  low  wretch  has  whispered  to  him 
about  the  foundries  ?  " 

And  the  nomarch's  heart  was  anxious. 

Suddenly  the  prince  turned  toward  the  escort  and  called 
Tutmosis,  who  was  bound  to  be  at  all  times  near  his  person. 

Tutmosis  ran  up.     The  heir  went  to  one  side  with  him. 

"Hear  me,"  said  he,  pointing  toward  the  desert.  "Dost 
thou  see  those  hills?" 

"  We  were  there  last  year,"  sighed  the  courtier. 

"  I  remember  Sarah." 

"  I  will  burn  incense  to  the  gods  at  once,"  cried  Tutmosis, 
"for  I  thought  that  your  worthiness  had  forgotten  faithful  ser 
vants  since  becoming  viceroy." 

The  prince  looked  at  him  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Select,"  said  he,  "from  the  gifts  brought  me,  some  of  the 
most  beautiful  vessels,  utensils,  stuffs,  and,  above  all,  chains 
and  bracelets,  and  take  them  to  Sarah." 

"Live  through  eternity,  O  Rameses !  "  exclaimed  the  exqui 
site,  "for  thou  art  high-minded." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  181 

44  Tell  her,"  continued  the  prince,  "that  for  her  my  heart  is 
always  full  of  favor.  Say  that  I  wish  her  to  care  for  her  health. 
Tell  Sarah  that  when  the  time  of  freedom  comes  and  I  have 
carried  out  the  commands  of  my  father,  she  will  come  to  me 
and  live  in  my  house.  I  cannot  endure  that  the  mother  of  my 
child  should  be  grieving  in  loneliness.  Go,  do  as  I  have  said, 
and  return  with  pleasant  tidings." 

Tutmosis  prostrated  himself  before  the  noble  ruler,  and  took 
the  road  straightway.  The  retinue  of  Rameses,  unable  to 
divine  the  conversation,  envied  Tutmosis  the  favor  of  the 
viceroy,  while  the  worthy  Ranuzer  felt  alarm  rising  in  his  soul. 

"Oh,"  said  he,  anxiously,  "may  I  not  need  to  raise  hands 
on  myself  and  leave  my  house  in  the  bloom  of  my  years !  Why 
did  I,  the  unfortunate,  when  taking  the  pharaoh's  goods,  not 
think  of  the  hour  of  trial  ?  " 

His  face  became  yellow,  and  his  legs  tottered  under  him. 
But  the  prince,  mastered  by  a  wave  of  reminiscences,  took  no 
note  of  this  change  in  the  nomarch. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

IN  the  city  of  Anu  a  series  of  feasts  and  amusements  now 
followed.  The  worthy  nomarch  brought  the  choicest  wines 
from  his  cellars  ;  from  the  three  neighboring  provinces  came  the 
most  beautiful  dancers,  the  most  famous  musicians,  the  adroit- 
est  of  jugglers.  The  prince's  time  was  occupied  thoroughly,  — 
every  morning  reviews  of  troops  and  receptions  ;  later  feasts, 
spectacles,  hunting,  and  feasts  again. 

But  just  when  Ranuzer  felt  certain  that  the  viceroy  was  tired 
of  questions  of  administration  and  economy,  the  latter  sum 
moned  him,  and  asked,  — 

"Thy  province,  worthiness,  is  among  the  richest  in  Egypt, 
is  it  not?" 

"Yes,  though  we  have  had  a  number  of  hard  years,"  replied 
Ranuzer ;  and  again  his  heart  sank  and  his  legs  began  to  tremble. 

"But  this  astonishes  me,"  said  the  prince,  "that  year  after 
year  the  income  of  his  holiness  decreases.  Canst  thou  not 
explain  to  me  the  cause  of  this  ? " 


182  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Lord,"  said  the  nomarch,  bending  his  head  to  the  earth, 
"I  see  that  my  enemies  have  sown  distrust  in  thy  soul;  what 
ever  I  might  say,  therefore,  would  not  convince  thee.  Permit 
me  not  to  speak.  Better  let  scribes  come  with  documents, 
which  thou  canst  touch  with  thy  hand  and  verify." 

The  prince  was  somewhat  astonished  at  the  unexpected  out 
burst,  but  he  accepted  the  offer ;  nay,  he  was  glad  of  it.  He 
thought,  of  course,  that  the  report  of  these  scribes  would  ex 
plain  to  him  the  secret  of  government. 

The  next  day,  therefore,  came  the  chief  scribe  of  Hak,  and 
with  him  his  assistants.  They  brought  from  ten  to  twenty 
rolls  of  papyrus  written  on  both  sides.  When  unwound,  they 
formed  a  strip  three  spans  of  a  great  hand  in  width  and  in 
length  sixty  paces.  For  the  first  time  the  prince  saw  so 
gigantic  a  document,  containing  an  inventory  of  one  province 
only  and  that  for  one  year. 

The  chief  scribe  sat  on  the  floor  with  his  legs  doubled  under 
him,  and  began,  — 

"  In  the  thirty-third  year  of  the  reign  of  his  holiness  Mer- 
amen-Rameses  the  Nile  was  late  in  its  overflow.  Earth-tillers, 
ascribing  this  misfortune  to  the  black  art  of  foreigners  resident 
in  the  province  of  Hak,  fell  to  wrecking  the  houses  of  Hittites, 
Jews,  and  Phoenicians,  during  which  time  a  number  of  persons 
were  slain  by  them.  At  command  of  his  worthiness  the  no- 
march,  those  guilty  were  brought  to  the  court;  twenty-five 
earth-tillers,  two  masons,  and  five  sandal-makers  were  con 
demned  to  the  quarries,  one  boatman  was  strangled  — " 

"  What  is  that  document?  "  interrupted  the  prince. 

"It  is  the  report  of  the  court  intended  for  the  feet  of  his 
holiness." 

"  Put  it  aside,  and  read  about  the  income  of  the  treasury." 

The  assistants  of  the  chief  scribe  folded  the  rejected  docu 
ment,  and  gave  him  others.  Again  the  official  began,  — 

"  On  the  fifth  day  of  the  month  Thoth  six  hundred  measures 
of  wheat  were  brought  to  the  granaries  of  the  pharaoh;  for 
these  a  receipt  was  issued  by  the  chief  overseer. 

"  On  the  seventh  day  of  Thoth  the  chief  scribe  discovered  and 
verified  a  statement  that  from  the  supply  of  the  previous  year 
one  hundred  and  forty-eight  measures  of  wheat  had  vanished. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  183 

During  the  verification  two  laborers  stole  a  measure  of  grain 
and  hid  it  among  bricks.  When  this  was  proven  they  were 
brought  to  judgment  and  sent  to  the  quarries  for  raising  their 
hands  to  the  property  of  his  holiness." 

"  But  the  hundred  and  forty-eight  measures?  "  asked  the  heir. 

"The  mice  ate  them,"  replied  the  scribe,  and  read  on. 

"  On  the  eighth  day  of  Thoth  twenty  cows  and  eighty-four 
sheep  were  sent  to  the  slaughter;  these,  at  command  of  the 
overseer  of  oxen,  were  issued  to  the  Sparrow-Hawk  regiment." 

In  this  manner  the  viceroy  learned  day  after  day  how  much 
wheat,  barley,  beans,  and  lotus  seed  were  weighed  into  the 
granaries,  how  much  given  out  to  the  mills,  how  much  stolen, 
and  how  many  laborers  were  condemned  to  the  quarries  for 
stealing.  The  report  was  so  wearisome  and  chaotic  that  in  the 
middle  of  the  month  Paophi  the  prince  gave  command  to  stop 
reading. 

"Tell  me,  chief  scribe,"  said  Rameses,  "what  dost  thou 
understand  from  this?  What  dost  thou  learn  from  it?" 

"  Everything  which  thy  worthiness  commands." 

And  he  began  again  at  the  beginning,  but  from  memory,  — 

"On  the  fifth  of  the  month  Thoth  they  brought  to  the 
granaries  of  the  pharaoh  — 

"Enough!"  cried  the  enraged  prince;  and  he  commanded 
the  man  to  depart. 

The  scribes  fell  on  their  faces,  gathered  up  their  papyruses 
quickly,  and  bore  them  away  in  a  twinkle. 

The  prince  summoned  the  nomarch.  He  came  with  crossed 
hands,  but  with  a  calm  face,  for  he  had  learned  from  the  scribes 
that  the  viceroy  could  understand  nothing  from  reports,  and 
that  he  did  not  give  ear  to  them. 

"Tell  me,  worthiness,"  began  the  heir,  "do  they  read  re 
ports  to  thee?" 

"Everyday." 

"  And  dost  thou  understand  them?" 

"  Pardon,  most  worthy  lord,  but  —  could  I  manage  a  province 
if  I  did  not  understand  ?  " 

The  prince  was  confused  and  fell  to  thinking.  Could  it  be 
really  that  he,  Rameses,  was  the  only  incompetent?  But  in  this 
case  what  would  become  of  his  power? 


184  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Sit  down,"  said  he,  after  a  while,  indicating  a  chair  to  the 
nomarch.  "  Sit  down  and  tell  me  how  thou  governest  the 
province." 

The  dignitary  grew  pale,  and  the  whites  of  his  eyes  turned 
upward.  Rameses  noticed  this,  and  began  explaining,  — 

41  Do  not  think  that  I  have  not  trust  in  thy  wisdom.  On  the 
contrary,  I  know  no  man  who  could  manage  better.  But  I  am 
young  and  curious  to  know  the  art  of  government,  so  I  beg 
thee  to  deal  out  to  me  crumbs  of  thy  knowledge.  Thou  art 
ruling  the  province  —  I  know  that.  Now  explain  to  me  the 
process." 

The  nomarch  drew  breath  and  began,  — 

11  I  will  relate,  worthiness,  the  whole  course  of  my  life,  so 
thou  shalt  know  how  weighty  my  work  is. 

"  In  the  morning  I  bathe,  then  I  give  offerings  to  the  god 
Amut ;  next  I  summon  the  treasurer,  and  ask  him  whether  the 
taxes  for  his  holiness  are  collected  properly.  When  he  answers 
yes,  I  praise  him  ;  when  he  says  that  these  and  those  people 
have  not  paid,  I  issue  an  order  to  imprison  the  disobedient. 
Then  I  summon  the  overseers  of  the  royal  granaries,  to  learn 
how  much  grain  has  been  delivered.  If  much,  I  praise  them  ; 
if  little,  I  issue  an  order  to  inflict  stripes  on  the  guilty. 

"Later  comes  the  chief  scribe,  and  tells  me  which  of  the 
estates  of  his  holiness  needs  troops,  officials,  and  laborers,  and 
I  command  to  send  them  in  return  for  a  receipt.  When  he  gives 
out  less,  I  praise  him  ;  when  more,  I  commence  an  investigation. 

"  In  the  afternoon  come  Phoenician  merchants,  to  whom  I  sell 
wheat  and  bring  money  to  the  treasury  of  the  pharaoh.  After 
ward  I  pray  and  confirm  the  sentences  of  the  court;  toward 
evening  the  police  inform  me  of  what  has  happened.  No 
longer  ago  than  the  day  before  yesterday  people  from  my 
province  fell  upon  the  territory  Ka  and  desecrated  a  statue  of 
the  god  Sebak.  I  was  delighted  in  heart,  for  that  god  is  not 
our  patron ;  still  I  condemned  some  of  the  guilty  to  strangu 
lation,  some  of  them  to  the  quarries,  and  all  to  receive  stripes. 

u  Hence  peace  and  good  habits  prevail  in  my  province,  and 
the  taxes  flow  in  daily." 

4 '  Though  the  income  of  the  pharaoh  has  decreased  here 
also,"  added  Rameses. 


THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  185 

4 'Thou  speakest  truth,  lord,"  sighed  the  worthy  nomarch. 
44  The  priests  say  that  the  gods  are  angry  with  Egypt  because 
of  the  influx  of  foreigners  ;  but  I  see  that  even  the  gods  do  not 
contemn  gold  and  precious  stones  brought  by  Phoenician s." 

At  that  moment  the  priest  Mentezufis,  preceded  by  an 
officer  in  waiting,  entered  the  hall  to  beg  the  prince  and  the 
nomarch  to  a  public  devotion.  Both  dignitaries  consented,  #nd 
the  nomarch  exhibited  so  much  piety  that  the  prince  was 
astonished.  When  Ranuzer  left  the  company  with  obeisances, 
Rameses  said  to  the  priest,  - 

"Since  with  me,  holy  prophet,  thou  takest  the  place  of  the 
most  venerable  Herhor,  I  beg  thee  to  explain  one  thing  which 
fills  my  heart  with  anxiety  —  " 

44  Shall  I  be  able  to  explain?  "  asked  the  prophet. 

"Thou  wilt  answer  me,  for  thou  art  filled  with  wisdom,  of 
which  thou  art  the  servant.  But  consider  what  I  say  —  Thou 
knowest  why  his  holiness  sent  me  hither." 

44  He  sent  thee,  prince,  to  become  familiar  with  the  wealth  of 
the  country  and  its  institutions,"  said  Mentezufis. 

44 1  am  obeying.  I  examine  the  nomarchs,  I  look  at  the 
country  and  the  people.  I  listen  to  reports  of  scribes,  but  I 
understand  nothing ;  this  poisons  my  life  and  astounds  me. 

' '  When  I  have  to  do  with  the  army,  I  know  everything,  —  how 
many  soldiers  there  are,  how  many  horses,  chariots,  which 
officers  drink  or  neglect  their  service,  and  which  do  their  duty, 
I  know,  too,  what  to  do  with  an  army.  When  on  a  plain  there 
is  a  hostile  corps,  I  must  take  two  corps  to  beat  it.  If  the 
enemy  is  in  a  defensive  position,  I  should  not  move  without 
three  corps.  When  the  enemy  is  undisciplined  and  fights  in 
unordered  crowds  against  a  thousand,  I  send  five  hundred  of 
our  soldiers  and  beat  him.  When  the  opposing  side  has  a 
thousand  men  with  axes,  and  I  a  thousand,  I  rush  at  them  and 
finish  those  troops,  if  I  have  a  hundred  men  with  slings  in 
addition. 

44  In  the  army,  holy  father,"  continued  Rameses,  4'  everything 
is  as  visible  as  the  fingers  on  my  hand,  and  to  every  question 
an  answer  is  ready  which  my  mind  comprehends.  Meanwhile 
in  the  management  of  a  province  I  not  only  see  nothing,  but 
there  is  such  confusion  in  my  head  that  more  than  once  I  forget 
the  object  of  my  journey. 


186  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Answer  me,  therefore,  sincerely,  as  a  priest  and  an  officer: 
What  does  this  mean?  Are  the  nomarchs  deceiving  me,  or  am 
I  incompetent?  " 

The  holy  prophet  fell  to  thinking. 

"  Whether  they  attempt  to  deceive  thee,  worthiness,"  an 
swered  he,  "I  know  not,  for  I  have  not  examined  their 
acts.  It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  they  explain  nothing, 
because  they  themselves  comprehend  nothing.  The  nomarchs 
and  their  scribes,"  continued  the  priest,  "  are  like  decurions 
in  an  army ;  each  one  knows  his  ten  men  and  reports  on  them. 
Each  commands  those  under  him.  But  the  decurion  knows  not 
the  general  plan  made  by  leaders  of  the  army.  The  nomarchs 
and  the  scribes  write  down  everything  that  happens  in  their 
province,  and  lay  those  reports  at  the  feet  of  the  pharaoh. 
But  only  the  supreme  council  extracts  from  them  the  honey  of 
wisdom." 

"  But  that  honey  is  just  what  I  need,"  said  the  prince.  "  Why 
do  I  not  get  it?" 

Mentezufis  shook  his  head. 

"  Wisdom  of  the  state,"  said  he,  "  belongs  to  the  priesthood  ; 
therefore  only  the  man  who  is  devoted  to  the  gods  can  obtain  it. 
Meanwhile,  worthiness,  though  reared  by  priests,  thou  pushest 
thyself  away  from  the  temples  decisively." 

"  How  is  that?  Then,  if  I  do  not  become  a  priest,  will  ye  not 
explain  to  me  ?  " 

"  There  are  things,  worthiness,  which  thou  mayest  know  even 
now,  as  erpatr,  there  are  others  which  thou  wilt  know  when  thou 
art  the  pharaoh.  There  are  still  others  which  only  a  high  priest 
may  know." 

"  Every  pharaoh  is  a  high  priest,"  interrupted  the  prince. 

"  Not  every  pharaoh.  Besides,  even  among  high  priests 
there  are  grades  of  difference." 

"Then,"  cried  the  enraged  heir,  "ye  hide  the  order  of  the 
state  from  me,  and  I  shall  not  be  able  to  carry  out  the  com 
mands  of  my  father?  " 

"  What  the  prince  needs  may  be  known,"  answered  Mente 
zufis,  quietly,  "  for  thou  hast  the  inferior  priestly  consecration. 
Those  things,  however,  are  hidden  behind  the  veil  in  temples, 
which  no  one  will  dare  to  draw  aside  without  due  preparation." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  187 

"I  will  draw  it." 

"  May  the  gods  defend  Egypt  from  such  a  misfortune  !  "  re 
plied  the  priest,  as  he  raised  both  his  hands.  "  Dost  thou  not 
know,  worthiness,  that  a  thunderbolt  would  kill  any  man 
who  without  the  needed  ceremonies  should  touch  the  veil? 
Were  the  prince  to  take  to  the  temple  any  slave  or  con 
demned  criminal  and  let  him  stretch  out  his  hand,  the  man 
would  die  that  same  instant." 

"  For  ye  would  kill  him." 

"  Each  one  of  us  would  die  just  like  an  ordinary  criminal 
were  he  to  approach  the  altar  sacrilegiously.  In  presence 
of  the  gods,  my  prince,  a  pharaoh  or  a  priest  means  as 
little  as  a  slave." 

"What  am  I  to  do,  then?"  asked  Rameses. 

"  Seek  an  answer  to  thy  trouble  in  the  temple,  after  thou  hast 
purified  thyself  by  prayers  and  fasting,"  answered  the  priest. 
"  While  Egypt  is  Egypt,  no  ruler  has  gained  wisdom  of  state  in 
another  way." 

"  I  will  meditate  over  this,"  said  the  prince.  "  Though  I  see 
from  thy  words  that  the  most  venerable  Mefres,  and  thou,  holy 
prophet,  wish  to  involve  me  in  ceremonies  as  ye  have  involved 
my  father." 

"  Not  at  all.  Worthiness,  if  thou  as  pharaoh  would  limit 
thyself  to  commanding  the  army,  thou  mightst  take  part  in  cere 
monies  a  few  times  a  year  merely,  for  on  other  occasions  the 
high  priest  would  be  thy  substitute.  But  if  thou  wish  to  learn 
the  secrets  of  temples,  thou  must  honor  the  gods,  for  they  are 
the  fountain  of  wisdom." 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

RAMESES  saw  now  that  either  he  would  not  carry  out  the 
commands  of  the  pharaoh  or  that  he  must  yield  to  the 
will  of  the  priesthood ;  this  filled  him  with  dislike  and  anger. 
Hence  he  did  not  hurry  toward  the  secrets  hidden  in  temples. 
He  had  time  yet  for  fasting  and  devotional  exercises  ;  so  he  took 
part  all  the  more  zealously  in  feasts  which  were  given  in  his 
honor. 


188  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Tutmosis,  a  master  in  every  amusement,  had  just  returned, 
and  brought  the  prince  pleasant  news  from  Sarah.  She  was  in 
good  health  and  looked  well,  which  concerned  Eameses  less  at 
that  time.  But  the  priests  gave  such  a  horoscope  to  the  coming 
child  that  the  prince  was  delighted. 

They  assured  him  that  the  child  would  be  a  son,  greatly  gifted 
by  the  gods,  and  if  his  father  loved  him  he  would  during  life 
obtain  high  honor. 

The  prince  laughed  at  the  second  part  of  this  prediction. 
"Their  wisdom  is  wonderful,"  said  he  to  Tutmosis.  "They 
know  that  it  will  be  a  son,  while  I,  its  father,  do  not  know ; 
and  they  doubt  whether  I  shall  love  it,  though  it  is  easy  to 
divine  that  I  shall  love  the  child  even  should  it  be  a  daugh 
ter.  And  as  to  honor  for  it,  let  them  be  at  rest ;  I  will  occupy 
myself  with  that  question." 

In  the  month  Pachons  (January,  February)  the  heir  passed 
through  the  province  of  Ka,  where  he  was  received  by  the 
nomarch  Sofra.  The  city  of  Anu  lay  about  seven  hours  of  a 
foot  journe}T  from  Atribis,  but  the  prince  was  three  days  on 
this  journey.  At  thought  of  the  fasts  and  prayers  which  were 
awaiting  him  during  initiation  into  temple  secrets,  Rameses 
felt  a  growing  wish  for  amusements.  His  retinue  divined  this ; 
hence  pleasure  followed  pleasure. 

Again,  on  the  road  over  which  he  travelled  to  Atribis,  ap 
peared  throngs  of  people  with  shouts,  flowers,  and  music.  The 
enthusiasm  reached  its  height  at  the  city.  It  even  happened 
that  a  certain  gigantic  laborer  threw  himself  under  the  chariot 
of  the  viceroy.  But  when  Rameses  held  in  the  horses,  a  num 
ber  of  young  women  stepped  forth  from  the  crowd  and  wreathed 
the  whole  chariot  with  flowers. 

"  Still  they  love  me  !  "  thought  the  prince. 

In  the  province  of  Ka  he  did  not  ask  the  nomarch  about 
the  income  of  the  pharaoh,  lie  did  not  visit  factories,  he  did 
not  command  to  read  reports  to  him;  he  knew  that  he  would 
understand  nothing,  so  he  deferred  those  occupations  till  the 
time  of  his  initiation.  But  once,  when  he  saw  that  the  temple 
of  the  god  Sebak  stood  on  a  lofty  eminence,  he  desired  to  as 
cend  the  pylon  and  examine  the  surrounding  country. 

The  worthy  Sofra  accomplished  at  once  the  will  of  the  heir, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  189 

who,  when  he  found  himself  on  the  summit  of  the  pylon,  passed 
a  couple  of  hours  with  great  delight  there. 

The  province  of  Ka  was  a  fertile  plain.  A  number  of 
canals  and  branches  of  the  Nile  passed  through  it  in  every 
direction,  like  a  network  of  silver  and  lapis  lazuli.  Melons 
and  wheat  sown  in  November  were  ripening.  On  the  fields 
were  crowds  of  naked  people  who  were  gathering  cucumbers 
or  planting  cotton.  The  land  was  covered  with  small  build 
ings  which  at  points  were  close  together  and  formed  villages. 

Most  of  the  dwellings,  especially  those  in  the  fields,  were 
mud  huts  covered  with  straw  and  palm  leaves.  In  the  towns 
the  houses  were  walled,  had  flat  roofs,  and  looked  like 
white  cubes  with  holes  in  places  where  there  were  doors  and 
windows.  Very  often  on  such  a  cube  was  another  somewhat 
smaller,  and  on  that  a  third  still  smaller,  and  each  story  was 
painted  a  different  color.  Under  the  fiery  sun  of  Egypt  those 
houses  looked  like  great  pearls,  sapphires,  and  rubies,  scattered 
about  on  the  green  of  the  fields,  and  surrounded  by  palms  and 
acacias. 

From  that  place  Rameses  saw  a  phenomenon  which  arrested 
his  attention.  Near  the  temples  the  houses  were  more  beautiful, 
and  more  people  were  moving  in  the  fields  about  them. 

"  The  lands  of  the  priests  are  the  most  valuable,"  thought 
he ;  and  once  again  he  ran  over  with  his  eyes  the  temples  great 
and  small,  of  which  he  saw  between  ten  and  twenty  from  the 
pylon. 

But  since  he  had  agreed  with  Herhor,  and  needed  the  ser 
vices  of  the  priesthood,  he  did  not  care  to  occupy  himself  longer 
with  that  problem. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  days  the  worthy  Sofra  ar 
ranged  a  series  of  hunts  for  Rameses,  setting  out  toward  the 
cast  from  Atribis.  Around  the  canals  they  shot  birds  with 
arrows ;  some  they  snared  in  an  immense  net  trap  which  took 
in  a  number  of  tens  of  them,  or  they  let  out  falcons  against 
those  which  were  flying  at  freedom.  When  the  prince's  retinue 
entered  the  eastern  desert,  great  hunts  began  with  dogs  and 
panthers  against  wild  beasts.  Of  these  they  killed  and  seized, 
in  the  course  of  some  days,  a  couple  of  hundred. 

When   the  worthy  Sofra   noticed  that   the  prince    had    had 


190  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

enough  of  amusement  in  the  open  air  and  of  company  intents., 
he  ceased  hunting  and  brought  his  guest  by  the  shortest  road 
to  Atribis. 

They  arrived  about  four  hours  after  midday,  and  the  nomarch 
invited  all  to  a  feast  in  his  palace. 

He  conducted  the  prince  to  a  bath,  he  assisted  at  the  bathing, 
and  brought  out  from  his  own  chest  perfumes  wherewith  to 
anoint  Rameses.  Then  he  oversaw  the  barber  who  arranged 
the  viceroy's  hair ;  next  he  kneeled  down  on  the  pavement  and 
implored  the  prince  to  accept  new  robes  from  him. 

These  were  a  newly  woven  tunic  covered  with  embroidery, 
a  skirt  worked  with  pearls,  and  a  mantle  interwoven  with  gold 
very  thickly,  but  so  delicate  that  it  could  be  held  between  a 
man's  ten  fingers. 

The  heir  accepted  this  graciously,  declaring  that  he  had  never 
received  a  gift  of  such  beauty. 

The  sun  set,  and  the  nomarch  conducted  the  prince  to  the 
hall  of  entertainment. 

It  was  a  large  court  surrounded  by  columns  and  paved  with 
mosaic.  All  the  walls  were  covered  with  paintings  representing 
scenes  in  the  lives  of  the  ancestors  of  Sofra ;  hence  expeditions 
by  sea,  hunts,  and  battles.  Over  the  space,  instead  of  a  roof, 
was  a  giant  butterfly  with  many-colored  wings  which  were 
moved  by  hidden  slaves  to  freshen  the  atmosphere.  In  bronze 
holders  fastened  to  the  columns  blazed  bright  tapers  which 
gave  out  smoke  with  fragrance. 

The  hall  was  divided  into  two  parts :  one  was  empty,  the 
other  filled  with  chairs  and  small  tables  for  guests.  Aside  in 
the  second  part  rose  a  platform  on  which,  under  a  costly  tent 
with  raised  sides,  was  a  table  and  a  couch  for  Rameses. 

At  each  small  table  were  great  vases  with  palms,  acacias, 
and  fig-trees.  The  table  of  the  heir  was  surrounded  with 
plants  having  needle-like  leaves ;  these  filled  the  space  round 
about  with  the  odor  of  balsam. 

The  assembled  guests  greeted  the  prince  with  a  joyful  shout, 
and  when  Rameses  occupied  his  place  beneath  a  baldachin  whence 
there  was  a  view  of  the  court,  his  retinue  sat  down  at  the  tables. 

Harps  sounded,  and  ladies  entered  in  rich  muslin  robes 
with  open  bosoms ;  precious  stones  were  glittering  upon  their 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  191 

persons.  Four  of  the  most  beautiful  surrounded  Rameses ;  the 
others  sat  near  the  dignitaries  of  his  retinue. 

In  the  air  was  the  fragrance  of  roses,  lilies  of  the  valley,  and 
violets ;  the  prince  felt  the  throbbing  of  his  temples. 

Slaves,  male  and  female,  in  white,  rose-colored,  and  blue 
tunics,  brought  in  cakes,  roasted  birds,  and  game,  fish,  wine, 
fruits,  also  garlands  of  flowers  with  which  the  guests  crowned 
themselves.  The  immense  butterfly  moved  its  wings  more  and 
more  quickly,  and  in  the  unoccupied  part  of  the  court  was  a 
spectacle.  In  turn  appeared  dancers,  gymnasts,  buffoons, 
performers  of  tricks,  swordsmen ;  when  any  one  gave  an  un 
usual  proof  of  dexterity,  the  spectators  threw  to  him  gold  rings 
or  flowers  from  their  garlands. 

The  feast  lasted  some  hours,  interspersed  with  shouts  of 
guests  wishing  happiness  to  the  prince,  and  to  the  nomarch 
and  his  family. 

Rameses,  who  was  in  a  reclining  position  on  a  couch  covered 
with  a  lion's  skin  which  had  golden  claws,  was  served  by  four 
ladies.  One  fanned  him;  another  changed  the  garland  on  his 
head ;  the  other  two  offered  food  to  him.  Toward  the  end  of 
the  feast  the  one  with  whom  the  prince  talked  with  most  will 
ingness  brought  a  goblet  of  wine.  Rameses  drank  half,  and 
gave  the  remainder  to  the  woman ;  when  she  had  drunk  that 
half,  he  kissed  her  lips. 

Slaves  quenched  the  torches  then  quickly,  the  butterfly  ceased 
to  move  its  wings,  there  was  night  in  the  court,  and  silence 
interrupted  by  the  nervous  laughter  of  women. 

All  on  a  sudden  the  quick  tramping  of  people  was  heard  and 
a  terrible  shouting. 

44  Let  me  in!  "  cried  a  hoarse  voice.  "  Where  is  the  heir? 
Where  is  the  viceroy  ?  " 

There  was  a  dreadful  disturbance  in  the  hall.  Women  were 
terrified ;  men  called  out,  — 

"  What  is  it?  —  An  attack  on  the  heir !  Hei,  guards  !  " 

The  sound  of  broken  dishes  was  heard,  and  the  rattle  of 
chairs. 

44  Where  is  the  heir?  "  bellowed  the  stranger. 

44  Guards!  Defend  the  life  of  the  heir!  "  shouted  men  in  the 
courtyard. 


192  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

' '  Light  the  torches !  "  called  the  youthful  voice  of  the  heir. 
11  Who  is  looking  for  me  ?  Here  I  am  !  " 

Torches  were  brought.  In  the  hall  were  piles  of  overturned 
and  broken  furniture  behind  which  guests  were  in  hiding.  On 
the  platform  the  prince  tore  away  from  the  women,  who  screamed 
while  they  held  to  his  legs  and  arms  firmly.  Near  the  prince 
was  Tutmosis,  his  wig  torn,  a  bronze  pitcher  in  his  hand  with 
which  he  was  ready  to  open  the  head  of  any  one  who  dared  to 
go  nearer  the  viceroy.  At  the  door  of  the  hall  appeared 
warriors  with  swords  drawn  for  action. 

"  What  is  this?     Who  is  here?  "  cried  the  terrified  nomarch. 

At  last  they  beheld  the  author  of  the  disturbance,  a  gigantic 
man,  naked,  and  mud-covered.  He  had  bloody  stripes  on  his 
shoulders ;  he  was  kneeling  on  the  steps  of  the  platform  and 
stretching  his  hands  toward  Rameses. 

u  This  is  the  murderer,"  shouted  the  nomarch.    "  Seize  him  ! "' 

Tutmosis  raised  his  pitcher;  soldiers  rushed  up  from  the 
door.  The  wounded  man  fell  with  his  face  to  the  steps, 
crying,  - 

* '  Have  mercy,  sun  of  Egypt !  " 

The  soldiers  were  ready  to  seize  him  when  Rameses  pulled 
himself  free  of  the  women  and  approached  the  unfortunate 
giant. 

"  Touch  him  not !  "  cried  Rameses  to  the  warriors.  "  What 
dost  thou  wish,  man  ?  " 

"  I  wish,  lord,  to  tell  thee  of  the  wrongs  which  we  suffer." 

At  that  moment  the  nomarch  stepped  up  to  the  viceroy  and 
whispered,  — 

"  This  is  a  Hyksos.  Look,  worthiness,  at  his  shaggy  hair 
and  his  beard.  But  the  insolence  with  which  he  burst  in  proves 
that  the  criminal  is  not  a  genuine  Egyptian." 

"  Who  art  thou?"  asked  Rameses. 

"  I  am  Bakura,  a  laborer  in  the  regiment  of  diggers  in 
Sochem.  We  have  no  work  now,  so  the  nomarch  Otoes  com 
manded  us  —  " 

4 '  He  is  a  drunkard  and  a  madman  !  "  whispered  the  excited 
Sofra.  "  How  dares  he  speak  to  thee,  lord  — 

The  prince  gave  such  a  look  to  the  nomarch  that  he  bent 
double  and  moved  backward. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  193 

"What  did  the  worthy  Otoes  command  you  the  workers?" 
asked  the  viceroy  of  Bakura. 

"  He  commanded  us,  lord,  to  go  along  the  bank  of  the  Nile, 
swim  in  the  river,  stand  at  the  roads,  make  an  uproar  in  thy 
honor,  and  he  promised  to  give  us  what  was  proper  for  doing 
so.  For  two  months  before  that,  we,  O  lord,  received  nothing, 
—  neither  barley  cakes,  nor  fish,  nor  olive  oil  for  our  bodies." 

"  What  is  thy  answer  to  this,  worthy  lord?"  asked  the  prince 
of  the  nomarch. 

"  He  is  a  dangerous  drunkard,  a  foul  liar,"  answered  Sofra. 

"  What  noise  didst  thou  make  in  my  honor?  " 

44  That  which  was  commanded,"  said  the  giant.  "  My  wife 
and  daughter  cried  with  the  others,  '  May  he  live  through  eter 
nity  ! '  I  sprang  into  the  water  and  threw  a  garland  at  thy  barge, 
worthiness  ;  for  this  they  promised  an  uten.  When  thou  wert 
pleased  graciously  to  enter  the  city  of  Atribis,  I  approached  to 
throw  myself  under  the  horses  and  stop  thy  chariot  —  " 

The  prince  laughed. 

"  As  I  live,"  said  he,  "I  did  not  think  that  we  should  end 
the  feast  with  such  joyousness.  But  how  much  did  they  pay 
thee  for  falling  under  the  chariot?  " 

"  They  promised  three  utens,  but  have  paid  nothing  to  me 
or  my  wife  or  my  daughter.  Nothing  has  been  given  to  the 
whole  regiment  of  diggers  to  eat  for  two  months  past." 

"  On  what  do  ye  live  then?  " 

"  On  begging,  or  on  that  which  we  earn  from  some  earth- 
worker.  In  this  sore  distress  we  revolted  three  times,  and  de 
sired  to  go  home.  But  the  officers  and  scribes  either  promised 
to  give  something  or  commanded  to  beat  us." 

"  For  the  noise  made  in  my  honor?"  put  in  the  prince,  laughing. 

"Thy  worthiness  speaks  truth.  Yesterday  the  revolt  was 
greatest,  for  which  the  worthy  nomarch  Sofra  gave  command  to 
take  the  tenth  man.  Every  tenth  man  was  clubbed,  and  I  got 
the  most,  for  I  am  big  and  have  three  mouths  to  feed,  —  my 
own,  my  wife's,  and  my  daughter's.  When  I  was  clubbed  I 
broke  away  from  them  to  fall  down,  O  lord,  in  thy  presence, 
and  tell  thee  our  sorrows.  Beat  us  if  we  are  guilty,  but  let  the 
scribes  give  us  that  which  is  due,  for  we  are  dying  of  hunger, 
—  we,  our  wives,  and  our  children." 

13 


194  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  This  man  is  possessed  !  "  exclaimed  Sofra.  "  Be  pleased, 
lord,  to  see  the  damage  he  has  wrought  here.  I  would  not  take 
ten  talents  for  those  dishes,  pitchers,  and  tables." 

Among  the  guests,  who  now  were  recovering  their  senses,  a 
muttering  began. 

"This  is  a  bandit!"  said  they.  "Look  at  him,  really  a 
Hyksos.  Boiling  up  in  him  is  the  cursed  blood  of  his  ances 
tors,  the  men  who  invaded  and  ruined  Egypt.  Such  costly 
furniture,  such  splendid  vessels,  broken  into  fragments !  " 

"  The  loss  caused  the  state  by  one  rebellion  of  unpaid  labor 
ers  is  greater  than  the  value  of  these  vessels,"  said  Rameses. 

"Sacred  words!  They  should  be  written  on  monuments," 
said  some  among  the  guests.  ' 4  Rebellion  takes  people  from 
their  labor  and  grieves  the  heart  of  his  holiness.  It  is  not 
proper  that  laborers  should  be  unpaid  for  two  months  in 
succession." 

The  prince  looked  with  contempt  on  those  courtiers,  change 
able  as  clouds ;  he  turned  then  to  the  nomarch. 

"  I  givethee,"  said  he,  threateningly,  "  this  punished  man.  I 
am  certain  that  a  hair  of  his  head  will  not  fall  from  him.  To 
morrow  morning  I  wish  to  see  the  regiment  to  which  he  belongs 
and  learn  whether  he  speaks  truth  or  falsehood." 

After  these  words  Rameses  went  out,  leaving  the  nomarch 
and  the  guests  in  vexation. 

Next  morning  the  prince,  while  dressing  with  the  aid  of 
Tutmosis,  asked  him,  — 

"  Have  the  laborers  come?  " 

"  They  have,  lord  ;  they  have  been  waiting  for  thy  commands 
since  daybreak." 

'*  And  is  that  man  Bakura  among  them?" 

Tutmosis  made  a  wry  face  and  answered,  — 

"  A  marvellous  thing  has  happened.  The  worthy  Sofra  gave 
command  to  shut  the  fellow  up  in  an  empty  cellar  of  the  palace. 
Well,  the  disorderly  rascal,  a  very  strong  man,  broke  the  door 
to  another  place  where  there  is  wine  ;  he  overturned  a  number 
of  pots  of  very  costly  wine,  and  got  so  drunk  that —  " 

"  That  what?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"That  he  perished." 

The  prince  sprang  up  from  his  chair. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  195 

44  And  dost  thou  believe  that  he  drank  himself  to  death  ? " 

44 1  must  believe,  for  I  have  no  proof  that  they  killed  him." 

44  But  if  I  look  for  proof?  "  burst  out  the  prince. 

He  ran  through  the  room,  and  snorted  like  an  angry  lion. 
When  he  was  somewhat  quieted,  Tutmosis  added, — 

4 '  Seek  not  for  proof  where  it  is  not  to  be  discovered,  for 
thou  wilt  not  find  even  witnesses.  If  any  man  strangled  that 
laborer  at  command  of  the  nomarch,  he  will  not  confess ;  the 
laborer  himself  is  dead,  and  will  not  say  anything ;  besides, 
what  would  his  complaint  against  the  nomarch  amount  to?  In 
these  conditions  no  court  would  begin  to  investigate." 

44  But  if  I  command  ?  "  asked  the  viceroy. 

44  In  that  case  they  will  investigate  and  prove  the  innocence 
of  Sofra.  Then  thou  wTilt  be  put  to  shame,  and  all  the  nomarchs 
with  their  relatives  and  servants  will  become  thy  enemies." 

The  prince  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  chamber  and  pondered. 

44  Finally,"  said  Tutmosis,  44  everything  seems  to  show  this, 
that  the  unfortunate  Bakura  was  a  drunkard  or  a  maniac,  and, 
above  all,  a  man  of  foreign  blood.  If  a  genuine  Egyptian  in  his 
senses  were  to  go  without  pay  for  a  year,  and  be  clubbed  twice 
as  much  as  this  man,  would  lie  dare  to  break  into  the  palace  of 
the  nomarch  and  appeal  to  thee  with  such  an  outcry?  " 

Rarneses  bent  his  head,  and  seeing  that  there  were  nobles  in 
the  next  chamber,  he  said  in  a  voice  somewhat  lowered,  — 

44  Kno west  thou,  Tutmosis,  since  I  set  out  on  this  journey 
Egypt  begins  to  appear  somehow  strange  to  me?  At  times  I 
ask  my  own  self  if  I  am  not  in  some  foreign  region.  Then 
again  my  heart  is  disturbed,  as  if  I  had  a  curtain  before  me, 
behind  which  all  kinds  of  villany  are  practised,  but  which  I 
myself  cannot  see  with  my  owrn  eyes." 

44  Then  do  not  look  at  them  ;  for  if  thou  do,  it  will  seem  at 
last  to  thee  that  we  should  all  be  sent  to  the  quarries,"  said 
Tutmosis,  smiling.  44  Remember  that  the  nomarchs  and  offi 
cials  are  the  shepherds  of  thy  flock.  If  one  of  them  takes  a 
measure  of  milk  for  himself,  or  kills  a  little  sheep,  of  course 
thou  wilt  not  kill  him  or  drive  the  man  away.  Thou  hast  many 
sheep,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  find  shepherds." 

The  viceroy,  now  dressed,  passed  into  the  hall  of  waiting, 
where  his  suite  stood  assembled,  —  priests,  officers,  and  offi- 


196  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

cials.  Then  he  left  the  palace  with  them,  and  went  to  the  outer 
courtyard. 

That  was  a  broad  space,  planted  with  acacias,  under  the  shade 
of  which  the  laborers  were  waiting  for  the  viceroy.  At  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet  the  whole  crowd  sprang  up,  and  stood  in 
five  ranks  before  him. 

Rameses,  attended  by  a  glittering  retinue  of  dignitaries, 
halted  suddenly,  wishing,  first  of  all,  to  look  at  the  regiment 
from  a  distance.  The  men  were  naked,  each  with  a  white  cap 
on  his  head,  and  girt  about  the  hips  with  stuff  like  that  of 
which  the  cap  was  made.  In  the  ranks  Rameses  could  distin 
guish  easily  the  brown  Egyptian,  the  negro,  the  yellow  Asiatic, 
the  white  inhabitants  of  Libya,  and  also  the  Mediterranean 
islands. 

In  the  first  rank  stood  workers  with  pickaxes,  in  the  second 
those  with  mattocks,  in  the  third  those  with  shovels.  The 
fourth  rank  was  composed  of  carriers,  of  whom  each  had  a  pole 
and  two  buckets ;  the  fifth  was  also  of  carriers,  but  with  large 
boxes  borne  by  two  men.  These  last  carried  earth  freshly 
dug. 

In  front  of  the  ranks,  some  yards  distant,  stood  the  over 
seers  ;  each  held  a  long  stick  in  his  hand,  and  either  a  large 
wooden  circle  or  a  square  measure. 

When  the  prince  approached  them,  they  cried  in  a  chorus,  — 

"  Live  thou  through  eternity !  "  and  kneeling,  they  struck  the 
earth  with  their  foreheads.  The  heir  commanded  them  to  rise, 
and  surveyed  them  again  with  attention. 

They  were  healthy,  strong  persons,  not  looking  in  the  least 
like  men  who  had  lived  two  months  on  begging. 

Sofra  with  his  retinue  approached  the  prince.  But  Rameses, 
feigning  not  to  see  him,  turned  to  one  of  the  overseers,  — 

4t  Are  ye  earth-tillers  from  Sochem?"  inquired  he. 

The  overseer  fell  at  full  length  with  his  face  to  the  earth. 

The  prince  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  called  out  to  the 
laborers,  — 

u  Are  ye  from  Sochem?" 

u  We  are  earth- workers  from  Sochem,"  answered  they,  in 
chorus. 

"  Have  ye  received  pay?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  197 

"  We  have  received  pay;  we  are  sated  and  happy  servants 
of  his  holiness,"  answered  the  chorus,  giving  out  each  word  with 
emphasis. 

"  Turn  around  !  "  commanded  the  prince. 

They  turned.  It  is  true  that  each  had  frequent  and  deep 
scars  from  the  club,  but  no  fresh  stripes  on  their  bodies. 

"  They  are  deceiving  me,"  thought  the  heir. 

He  commanded  the  laborers  to  go  to  their  barracks,  and, 
without  greeting  the  nomarch  or  taking  leave  of  him,  he  returned 
to  the  palace. 

44  Wilt  thou,  too,  tell  me,"  said  he  to  Tutmosis  on  the  road, 
"  that  those  men  are  laborers  from  Sochem?" 

"But  they  say  that  they  are,  they  themselves  give  answer," 
replied  the  courtier. 

Rameses  gave  command  to  bring  his  horse,  and  he  rode  to 
the  army  encamped  beyond  the  city.  He  reviewed  the  regi 
ments  all  day.  About  noon,  on  the  field  of  exercise,  appeared, 
at  command  of  the  nomarch,  some  tens  of  carriers  with  food  and 
wine,  tents  and  furniture.  But  the  prince  sent  them  back  to 
Atribis  ;  and  when  the  hour  came  for  army  food,  he  commanded 
to  serve  that  to  him ;  so  he  ate  dried  meat  with  oat  cakes. 

These  were  the  mercenary  regiments  of  Libya.  When  the 
prince  ordered  them  to  lay  aside  arms  in  the  evening,  and  took 
farewell  of  the  men,  it  seemed  as  though  the  soldiers  and 
officers  had  yielded  to  madness.  Shouting  "May  he  live 
through  eternity! "  they  kissed  his  hands  and  feet,  made  a 
litter  of  their  spears  and  mantles,  and  bore  him  to  the  city, 
disputing  on  the  way  with  one  another  for  the  honor  of  carrying 
the  heir  on  their  shoulders. 

The  nomarch  and  the  officials  of  the  province  were  frightened, 
when  they  saw  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Libyans,  and  the  favor 
which  the  heir  showed  barbarians. 

"Here  is  a  ruler!  "  whispered  the  chief  secretary  to  Sofra. 
"  If  he  wished,  those  people  would  kill  us  and  our  children." 

The  troubled  nomarch  sighed  to  the  gods,  and  commended 
himself  to  their  gracious  protection. 

Late  at  night  Rameses  found  himself  in  his  own  palace,  and 
there  the  servants  told  him  that  another  bedchamber  had  beeu 
given  him. 


198  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Why  is  this  ? " 

"Because  in  the  first  chamber  people  saw  a  poisonous 
serpent,  which  hid,  and  no  one  could  find  it." 

In  a  wing  near  the  house  of  the  noraarch  was  a  new  sleeping 
chamber,  —  a  four-cornered  room  surrounded  by  columns  on 
all  sides.  Its  walls  were  of  alabaster,  covered  with  painted 
bas-reliefs ;  below  were  plants  in  vases ;  higher  up  garlands  of 
olive  and  laurel. 

Almost  in  the  centre  of  the  room  stood  a  great  bed  inlaid 
with  ebony,  gold,  and  ivory.  The  chamber  was  lighted  by  two 
fragrant  tapers  ;  under  the  colonnade  were  small  tables  with 
wine,  food,  and  garlands  of  roses.  In  the  ceiling  was  a  large 
quadrangular  opening  covered  with  linen. 

The  prince  bathed  and  lay  on  the  soft  bed  ;  his  servants  went 
to  remote  chambers.  The  tapers  were  burning  out ;  cool  air 
filled  with  the  odor  of  flowers  moved  in  the  chamber.  At  the 
same  time  low  music  from  harps  was  heard  above  him. 

Rameses  raised  his  head.  The  linen  canopy  of  the  chamber 
slipped  to  one  side,  and  through  the  opening  he  saw  the  con 
stellation  Leo,  and  in  it  the  brilliant  star  Regulus.  The  music 
of  harps  became  louder. 

u  Are  the  gods  preparing  to  make  me  a  visit?"  thought  the 
viceroy,  with  a  smile. 

In  the  opening  of  the  ceiling  shone  a  broad  streak  of  light ; 
it  was  powerful  but  tempered.  A  moment  later  a  litter  ap 
peared  in  the  form  of  a  golden  boat,  bearing  a  small  arbor 
with  flowers  in  it ;  the  pillars  of  the  arbor  were  entwined  with 
garlands  of  roses,  the  top  of  it  covered  with  lotuses  and  violets. 

On  ropes,  entwined  with  green,  the  golden  boat  descended 
to  the  chamber  in  silence.  It  stopped  on  the  pavement,  and 
from  beneath  the  flowers  came  forth  a  naked  maiden  of  un 
paralleled  beauty.  Her  body  had  the  smoothness  of  marble ; 
from  her  amber-like  waves  of  hair  came  an  intoxicating 
odor. 

The  maiden  stepped  from  the  litter  and  knelt  before  Rameses. 

"  Art  thou  the  daughter  of  Sofra?  "  asked  he. 

"  Thou  speakest  truth,  Lord  Rameses." 

"  And  still  thou  hast  come  to  me  ! " 

"  To  implore  thee  to  pardon  my  father.     He  is  unhappy ; 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  199 

since  midday  he  has  been  shedding  tears  and  covering  his  head 
with  ashes." 

"  And  if  I  would  not  forgive  him,  wouldst  thou  leave  me?  " 

"  No,"  whispered  she. 

Rameses  drew  her  toward  him  and  kissed  her  with  passion. 
His  eyes  flashed. 

"  For  this  I  forgive  him." 

"Oh,  how  good  thou  art!"  cried  she,  nestling  up  to  Ra 
meses  ;  then  she  added  with  sweetness,  — 

"  Wilt  thou  command  a  reward  for  the  damages  done  by  that 
mad  laborer?  " 

"  I  will  command." 

"  And  wilt  thou  take  me  to  thy  household?  " 

Rameses  looked  at  her. 

"  I  will  take  thee,  for  thou  art  a  beauty." 

"Really?"  asked  she,  putting  her  arm  around  his  neck. 
"  Look  at  me  better.  Among  the  beauties  of  Egypt  I  hold 
only  the  fourth  place." 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?  " 

"  In  Memphis,  or  near  there,  dwells  thy  first;  happily  she  is 
only  a  Jewess!  In  Sochem  is  the  second  —  " 

"  I  know  nothing  of  that  one,"  interrupted  Rameses. 

"  Oh,  thou  dove!  Then  surely  thou  knowest  nothing  of  the 
third  one  in  Ann." 

"  Does  she  too  belong  to  my  household?" 

"  Ungrateful !  "  cried  the  girl,  striking  him  with  a  lotus 
flower.  "  Thou  wouldst  be  ready  to  say  the  same  of  me  a 
month  hence.  But  I  will  not  let  myself  be  injured." 

"Like  thy  father." 

"Hast  thou  not  forgotten  him  yet?  Remember  that  I  will 
go  —  " 

"Stay,  stay!  " 

Next  day  the  viceroy  was  pleased  to  receive  homage  and  a 
feast  from  Sofra.  He  praised  in  public  the  nomarch's  govern 
ment  of  the  province,  and  to  reward  him  for  the  damages 
caused  by  the  drunken  laborer,  Rameses  presented  him  with 
one-half  of  the  furniture  and  vessels  presented  in  Anu. 

The  second  half  of  those  gifts  was  taken  by  the  beautiful 
Abeb,  daughter  of  the  uomarch,  as  lady  of  the  court.  Besides, 


OF  THE 
UMIVFDC 


200  THE  PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST 

she  commanded  that  five  talents  be  given  her  from  the  treasury 
of  the  viceroy,  for  clothes,  slaves,  and  horses. 

In  the  evening  the  prince,  while  yawning,  spoke  thus  to 
Tutmosis,  — 

' '  His  holiness  my  father  gave  me  a  great  lesson  when  he 
said  that  women  are  very  costly." 

"  The  position  is  worse  when  there  are  no  women,"  replied 
the  exquisite. 

"  But  I  have  four,  and  I  do  not  even  know  clearly  how.  I 
might  give  thee  two  of  them." 

"And  Sarah?" 

"  Not  her,  especially  if  she  has  a  son." 

"If  thou  wilt  assign  a  good  dowry,  husbands  will  be  found 
for  those  charmers  most  easily." 

The  prince  yawned  a  second  time. 

u  I  do  not  like  to  hear  of  dowries,"  said  he.  "  Aaa!  What 
luck,  that  I  shall  tear  away  from  thee  and  settle  among  the 
priests !  " 

u  Wilt  thou  indeed?" 

"I  must.  At  last  I  shall  learn  of  them  why  the  pharaohs 
are  growing  poorer.  Well,  I  shall  sleep." 


CHAPTER   XXV 

THAT  same  day,  in  Memphis,  Dagon  the  Phoanician,  the 
viceroy's  worthy  banker,  lay  on  a  couch  under  the 
veranda  of  his  mansion.  Around  him  were  fragrant  potted 
bushes  with  needle-like  leaves.  Two  black  slaves  cooled  the 
rich  man  with  fans,  and  he,  while  playing  with  a  young  ape, 
was  listening  to  accounts  read  by  his  scribe  to  him. 

At  that  moment  a  slave  with  a  sword,  helmet,  dart,  and  shield 
(the  banker  loved  military  drese),  announced  the  worthy  Rab- 
sun,  a  Phoenician  merchant  then  settled  in  Memphis. 

The  guest  entered,  bowed  profoundly,  and  dropped  his  eye 
lids  in  such  fashion  that  Dagon  commanded  the  scribe  and  the 
slaves  to  withdraw  from  the  veranda.  Then,  as  a  man  of 
foresight,  he  surveyed  every  corner,  and  said  to  the  visitor,  — 

"  We  may  talk." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  201 

Rabsun  began  without  prelude,  — 

"  Dost  thou  know,  worthiness,  that  Prince  Hiram  has  come 
from  Tyre  ?  " 

Dagon  sprang  up  from  the  couch. 

"May  the  leprosy  seize  him  and  his  priuceship!"  shouted 
the  banker. 

"  He  has  just  reminded  me,"  continued  the  guest,  calmly, 
"  that  there  is  a  misunderstanding  between  him  and  thee." 

"  What  misunderstanding? "  cried  Dagon.  "  That  thief  has 
robbed,  destroyed,  ruined  me.  When  I  sent  my  ships  after 
other  Tyrian  vessels  to  the  west  for  silver,  the  helmsmen  of 
that  thief  Hiram  cast  fire  on  them,  tried  to  push  them  into  a 
shallow.  "Well,  my  ships  came  back  empty,  burnt,  and  shattered. 
May  the  fire  of  heaven  burn  him !  "  concluded  the  raging 
banker. 

"  But  if  Hiram  has  for  thee  a  profitable  business?  "  inquired 
the  guest,  stolidly. 

The  storm  raging  in  Dagon's  breast  ceased  on  a  sudden. 

"  What  business  can  he  offer  me?"  asked  the  banker,  with 
a  voice  now  calmed  completely. 

"  He  will  tell  this  himself,  but  first  he  must  see  thee." 

"  Well,  let  him  come  to  me." 

"He  thinks  that  thou  shouldst  go  to  him.  He,  as  is  known 
to  thee,  is  a  member  of  the  chief  council  of  Tyre." 

"He  will  perish  before  I  go  to  him,"  cried  the  banker,  en 
raged  a  second  time. 

The  guest  drew  an  armchair  to  the  couch,  and  slapped 
Dagon's  thigh. 

"  Dagon,"  said  he,  "  have  sense." 

"  Why  have  I  not  sense,  and  why  dost  thou,  Rabsun,  not 
say  to  me  worthiness?" 

"Dagon,  be  not  foolish!"  answered  the  guest.  "If  thou 
wilt  not  go  to  him  and  he  will  not  come  to  thee,  how  will  ye  do 
business?  " 

"  Thou  art  foolish,  Rabsun  !  "  burst  out  Dagon  again.  "  Be 
fore  I  go  to  Hiram  let  my  hand  wither ;  with  that  politeness  I 
should  lose  half  the  profit." 

The  guest  thought  awhile. 

"  Now  thou  hast  uttered  a  wise  word,"  said  he  ;   "  so  I  will 


202  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

tell  thee  something.  Come  to  me  and  Hiram  will  come  also; 
ye  can  talk  of  that  business  in  my  house." 

Dagon  bent  his  head,  and  half  closing  his  eyes,  inquired 
roguishly,  — 

u  Ei,  Rabsun  !  —  Tell  outright  how  much  did  he  give  thee?  " 

"  For  what?" 

"  For  this,  that  I  should  come  to  thy  house  and  transact 
business  with  him,  the  mangy  scoundrel." 

"  This  business  interests  all  Phoenicia,  so  I  need  no  profit  on 
it,"  replied  the  indignant  Rabsuu. 

"  That  is  as  true  as  that  all  thy  debtors  will  pay  thee." 

' '  May  they  fail  to  pay  me  if  I  make  anything  in  this  !  Only 
let  not  Phoenicia  lose !  "  cried  Rabsun,  in  anger. 

They  took  farewell  of  each  other. 

Toward  evening  the  worthy  Dagon  seated  himself  in  a  litter 
carried  by  six  slaves.  He  was  preceded  by  two  outrunners 
with  staffs,  and  two  with  torches ;  behind  the  litter  went  four 
men  armed  from  head  to  foot.  Not  for  security,  but  because 
for  a  certain  time  Dagon  loved  to  surround  himself  with  armed 
men,  like  a  noble. 

He  came  out  of  the  litter  with  great  importance,  supported 
by  two  men;  a  third  carried  a  parasol  over  him.  He  entered 
Rabsun's  house. 

"  Where  is  that  —  Hiram?  "  inquired  he,  haughtily. 

"He  is  not  here?" 

"  How  is  this?     Must  I  wait  for  him,  then?  " 

uHe  is  not  in  this  room,  but  he  is  in  the  third  one  talking 
with  my  wife,"  answered  the  host.  "  He  is  making  a  visit  to 
my  wife." 

' '  I  will  not  go  there ! "  said  the  banker,  sitting  down  on  a 
couch. 

u  Thou  wilt  go  to  the  next  chamber,  and  he  will  enter  it  at 
the  same  time  with  thee." 

After  a  short  resistance  Dagon  yielded,  and  a  moment  later, 
at  a  sign  from  the  master  of  the  house,  he  entered  the  second 
chamber.  At  the  same  time  from  distant  apartments  appeared 
a  man,  not  of  tall  stature,  with  gray  beard,  dressed  in  a  gold- 
embroidered  toga,  and  with  a  gold  band  on  his  head. 

"  This  is,"  said  the  host,  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   TPIE   PRIEST  203 

"  his  grace  Prince  Hiram,  a  member  of  the  supreme  council  of 
Tyre. — This  is  the  worthy  Dagon,  banker  of  the  heir  to  the 
throne,  and  viceroy  of  Lower  Egypt." 

The  two  dignitaries  bowed,  each  with  his  hand  on  his  breast, 
and  both  sat  down  on  stools  in  the  middle  of  the  chamber. 
Hiram  pushed  aside  his  toga  somewhat  in  order  to  show  the 
great  gold  medal  on  his  breast ;  in  answer  to  this  Dagon  began 
to  toy  with  a  large  gold  chain  which  he  had  received  from 
Prince  Rameses. 

"I,  Hiram,"  said  the  old  man,  "congratulate  thee,  Lord 
Dagon.  I  wish  thee  much  property,  and  success  in  thy 
business." 

"  I,  Dagon,  congratulate  thee,  Lord  Hiram,  and  I  wish  thee 
the  same  as  thou  wishest  me  —  " 

"  Dost  thou  desire  to  dispute?"  interrupted  Hiram,  irritated. 

"  How  dispute?     Rabsun,  say  if  I  am  disputing." 

"  Better  talk  of  business,  your  worthinesses,"  replied  the  host. 

After  a  moment  of  thought  Hiram  proceeded,  — 

"  Thy  friends  in  Tyre  congratulate  thee  greatly  through  me." 

"  Is  that  all  they  have  sent  me?  "  asked  Dagon,  in  reviling 
accents. 

"  What  didst  thou  wish?  "  inquired  Hiram,  raising  his  voice. 

"  Quiet !     Concord !  "  put  in  the  host. 

Hiram  sighed  a  number  of  times  deeply,  and  said,  — 

"  It  is  true  that  we  need  concord.  Evil  times  are  approach 
ing  Phoenicia." 

"Has  the  sea  flooded  Tyre  and  Sidon?"  asked  Dagon, 
smiling. 

Hiram  spat,  and  inquired,  - 

"  Why  art  thou  so  ill-tempered  to-day?  " 

"I  am  always  ill-tempered  when  men  do  not  call  me 
worthiness." 

"But  why  dost  thou  not  say  grace  to  me?     I  am  a  prince." 

"  Perhaps  in  Phoenicia.  But  in  Assyria  thou  wouldst  wait 
three  days  in  the  forecourt  of  any  satrap  for  an  audience,  and 
when  he  deigned  to  receive  thee  thou  wouldst  be  lying  on  thy 
belly,  like  any  Phoenician  merchant." 

"But  what  couldst  thou  do  in  presence  of  a  wild  man  who 
would  perhaps  impale  thee  on  a  stake?  "  inquired  Hiram. 


204  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  What  I  would  do,  I  know  not.  But  in  Egypt  I  sit  on  one 
sofa  with  the  heir  to  the  throne,  who  to-day  is  viceroy." 

"  Concord,  worthiness  !   Concord,  grace  !  "  said  the  host. 

"  Concord  !  —  concord,  because  this  man  is  a  common  Phoe- 
nician  merchant,  and  is  unwilling  to  render  me  respect,"  cried 
out  Dagon. 

"  I  have  a  hundred  ships !  "  shouted  Hiram. 

"And  his  holiness  has  twenty  thousand  cities,  towns,  and 
villages." 

"  Your  worthinesses  are  destroying  this  business  and  all 
Phoenicia,"  said  Rabsun,  with  a  voice  which  was  loud  now. 

Hiram  balled  his  fists,  but  was  silent. 

"Thou  must  confess,  worthiness,"  said  he,  after  a  while, 
i '  that  of  those  twenty  thousand  towns  his  holiness  owns 
few  in  reality." 

"  Thou  wishest  to  say,  grace,"  answered  Dagon,  "  that  seven 
thousand  belong  to  the  temples,  and  seven  thousand  to  great 
lords.  Still  six  thousand  belong  clearly  to  his  holiness." 

"  Not  altogether!  For  when  thou  takest,  worthiness,  about 
three  thousand  which  are  mortgaged  to  the  priests,  and  two 
thousand  which  are  rented  to  our  Phoenicians  — 

"Thou  speakest  the  truth,  grace,"  said  Dagon.  u  But 
there  remain  always  to  his  holiness  about  two  thousand  very 
rich  cities." 

"Has  Typhon  possessed  thee?"  roared  Rabsun,  in  his  turn. 
"  Wilt  thou  go  now  to  counting  the  cities  of  the  pharaoh,  — 
may  he  — ' 

"  Pst!  "  whispered  Dagon,  springing  up. 

"When  misfortune  is  hanging  over  Phoenicia  —  "  finished 
Rabsun. 

"Let  me  but  know  what  the  misfortune  is,"  interrupted 
Dagon. 

u  Then  let  Hiram  speak  and  thou  wilt  know." 

"  Let  him  speak." 

"Dost  thou  know,  worthiness,  what  happened  in  the  inn 
1  Under  the  Ship  *  to  our  brother  Asarhadon  ? "  began  Hiram. 

"  I  have  no  brothers  among  innkeepers,"  interrupted  Dagon, 
sneeringly. 

"Be  silent!"  screamed  Rabsun,  in  anger;  and  he  grasped 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  205 

the  hilt  of  his  dagger.       "  Thou  art  as  dull  as  a  dog  barking  in 
sleep." 

"  Why  is  he  angry,  that — that  dealer  in  bones?"  inquired 
Dagon ;  and  he  reached  for  his  knife  also. 

"Quiet!  Concord!"  said  the  gray-headed  prince;  and  he 
dropped  his  lean  hand  to  his  girdle. 

For  a  while  the  nostrils  of  all  three  men  were  quivering  and 
their  eyes  flashing.  At  last  Hiram,  who  calmed  himself  first, 
began  again,  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

41  A  couple  of  months  ago,  in  Asarhadon's  inn,  lodged  a  cer 
tain  Phut  from  the  city  of  Harran  — 

"  He  had  to  receive  five  talents  from  some  priest,"  interrupted 
Dagon. 

"  What  further?  "  asked  Hiram. 

"  Nothing.  He  found  favor  with  a  certain  priestess,  and  at 
her  advice  went  to  seek  his  debtor  in  Thebes." 

"  Thou  hast  the  mind  of  a  child  and  the  talkativeness  of  a 
woman,"  said  Hiram.  "  This  I larran  man  is  not  from  Harran 
at  all.  He  is  a  Chaldean,  and  his  name  is  not  Phut,  but 
Beroes  —  " 

"Beroes?  —  Beroes?  "  repeated  Dagon,  trying  to  remember. 
"  I  have  heard  that  name  in  some  place." 

"Thou  hast  heard  it!"  repeated  Hiram,  with  contempt. 
"Beroes  is  the  wisest  priest  in  Babylon,  the  counsellor  of 
Assyrian  princes  and  of  the  king  himself." 

"Let  him  be  counsellor;  if  he  is  not  the  pharaoh,  what  do  I 
care  ?  "  said  the  banker. 

Rabsun  rose  from  his  chair,  and  threatening  Dagon  with  his 
fist  under  the  nose,  cried,  — 

"  Thou  wild  boar,  fatted  on  the  pharaoh's  swill,  Phoenicia 
concerns  thee  as  much  as  Egypt  concerns  me.  Thou  wouldst 
sell  thy  country  for  a  drachma  hadst  thou  the  chance,  leprous 
cur  that  thou  art !  " 

Dagon  grew  pale  and  answered  with  a  calm  voice,  — 

"  What  is  that  huckster  saying?  Tn  Tyre  my  sons  are  learn 
ing  navigation ;  in  Sidon  lives  my  daughter  with  her  husband. 
I  have  lent  half  my  property  to  the  supreme  council,  though  I 
do  not  receive  even  ten  per  cent  for  it.  And  this  huckster  says 
that  Phoenicia  does  not  concern  me!  " 


206  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Rabsun,  listen  to  me,"  added  he,  after  a  while.  "I  wish 
thy  wife  and  children  and  the  shades  of  thy  fathers  to  be 
as  much  thought  of  by  thee  as  each  Phoenician  ship  is  by 
me,  or  each  stone  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  or  even  of  Zarpath  and 
Achsibu." 

"  Dagon,  tell  truth,"  put  in  Hiram. 

"  I  not  care  for  Phoenicia!  "  continued  the  banker,  growing 
excited.  "  How  many  Phoenicians  have  I  brought  here  to  make 
property,  and  what  do  I  gain  from  having  done  so !  I  not 
care  ?  Hiram  ruined  two  ships  of  mine  and  deprived  me  of 
great  profit;  still,  when  Phoenicia  is  in  question,  I  sit  in  one  room 
with  him." 

"For  thou  didst  think  to  talk  with  him  of  cheating  some 
one,"  said  Rabsun. 

"As  much  as  thou  didst  think  of  dying,  fool!"  retorted 
Dagon.  "  Am  I  a  child?  do  I  not  understand  that  when  Hiram 
comes  to  Memphis  he  need  not  come  for  traffic?  O  thou  Rab 
sun  !  thou  shouldst  clean  my  stables  a  couple  of  years." 

"  Enough  of  this  !  "  cried  Hiram,  striking  the  table  with  his 
fist. 

"  We  never  shall  finish  with  this  Chaldean  priest,"  muttered 
Rabsun,  with  as  much  calmness  as  if  he  had  not  been  insulted  a 
moment  before. 

Hiram  coughed,  and  said,  — 

"  That  man  has  a  house  and  land  really  in  Harran,  and  he  is 
called  Phut  there.  He  got  letters  from  Hittite  merchants  to 
merchants  in  Sidon,  so  our  caravans  took  him  for  the  journey. 
He  speaks  Phoenician  well,  he  pays  liberally.  He  made  no  de 
mands  in  particular;  so  our  people  came  to  like  him,  even 
much. 

"But,"  continued  Hiram,  stroking  his  beard,  "when  a  lion 
covers  himself  with  an  ox  skin,  even  a  little  of  his  tail  will 
stick  out.  This  Phut  was  wonderfully  wise  and  self-confident ; 
so  the  chief  of  the  caravan  examined  his  effects  in  secret,  and 
found  nothing  save  a  medal  of  the  goddess  Astaroth.  This 
medal  pricked  the  heart  of  the  leader  of  the  caravan :  '  How 
could  a  Hittite  have  a  Phoenician  medal?' 

"  So  when  they  came  to  Sidon  he  reported  straightway  to  the 
elders,  and  thenceforth  our  secret  police  kept  this  Phut  in  view. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  207 

44  Meanwhile  he  is  such  a  sage  that  when  he  had  remained 
some  days  all  came  to  like  him.  He  prayed  and  offered  sacri 
fices  to  the  goddess  Astaroth,  paid  in  gold,  borrowed  no  money, 
associated  only  with  Phoenicians.  And  he  so  befogged  all  that 
watchfulness  touching  him  was  weakened,  and  he  went  in  peace 
to  Memphis. 

"In  this  place  again  our  elders  began  to  watch  him,  but  dis 
covered  nothing ;  they  divined  simply  that  he  must  be  a  great 
lord,  not  a  simple  man  of  Harran.  But  Asarhadon  discovered 
by  chance,  and  did  not  even  discover,  he  only  came  on  traces, 
that  this  pretended  Phut  passed  a  whole  night  in  the  ancient 
temple  of  Set,  which  here  is  greatly  venerated. 

"  Only  high  priests  enter  it  for  important  counsels,"  in 
terrupted  Dagon. 

"  And  that  alone  would  mean  nothing,"  said  Hiram.  "But 
one  of  our  merchants  returned  a  month  ago  from  Babylon 
with  wonderful  tidings.  In  return  for  a  great  present  a  certain 
attendant  of  the  Satrap  of  Babylon  informed  him  that  mis 
fortune  was  threatening  Phoenicia. 

"  4  Assyria  will  take  you,'  said  the  attendant,  '  and  Egypt 
will  take  Israel.  On  that  business  the  Chaldean  high  priest 
Beroes  has  gone  to  the  priests  of  Thebes,  and  with  them  he 
will  make  a  treaty.' 

44  Ye  must  know,"  continued  Hiram,  "  that  Chaldean  priests 
consider  the  priests  in  Egypt  as  their  brothers,  and  that  Beroes 
enjoys  great  esteem  in  the  Court  of  King  Assar,  so  reports  con 
cerning  that  treaty  may  be  very  truthful." 

"Why  does  Assyria  want  Phoenicia?"  inquired  Dagon,  as 
he  bit  his  finger-nails. 

"  Why  does  a  thief  want  another  man's  granary?"  replied 
Hiram. 

44  What  good  is  a  treaty  made  by  Beroes  with  Egyptian 
priests?  "  put  in  Rabsun,  thinking  deeply. 

44  Thou  art  dull!  "  answered  Dagon.  4'  Pharaoh  does  nothing 
except  what  the  priests  ordain." 

44  There  will  be  a  treaty  with  the  pharaoh,  never  fear!"  in 
terrupted  Hiram.  44  We  know  to  a  certainty  in  Tyre  that  the 
Assyrian  ambassador  Sargon  is  coming  to  Egypt  with  gifts  and 
with  a  great  retinue.  He  pretends  that  it  is  to  see  Egypt  and 


208  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

agree  with  ministers,  not  to  inscribe  in  Egyptian  acts  that 
Assyria  pays  tribute  to  the  pharaohs.  But  in  fact  he  is  coming 
to  conclude  a  treaty  about  dividing  the  countries  which  lie 
between  our  sea  and  the  Euphrates  River." 

44  May  the  earth  swallow  them  ! "  imprecated  Rabsun. 

44  What  dost  thou  think  of  this  Dagon  ?  "  inquired  Hiram. 

4'  But  what  would  ye  do  if  Assar  attacked  you  really?  " 

Hiram  shook  his  head  with  anger. 

"  What?  We  should  go  on  board  of  ships  with  our  families 
and  treasures  and  leave  to  those  dogs  the  ruins  of  cities  and 
the  rotting  corpses  of  slaves.  Do  we  not  know  greater  and  more 
beautiful  countries  than  Phoenicia,  where  we  can  begin  a  new 
and  richer  fatherland  ?  " 

44  May  the  gods  guard  us  from  such  a  thing,"  said  Dagon. 

"This  is  just  the  question,  to  save  the  present  Phoenicia  from 
destruction,"  said  Hiram.  "  And  thou,  Dagon,  art  able  to  do 
much  in  this  matter.'7 

"What  can  I  do?" 

44  Thou  mayst  learn  from  the  priests  whether  Beroes  met 
them,  and  whether  he  and  they  made  an  agreement." 

44  A  terribly  difficult  thing,"  whispered  Dagon.  "  But  I  may 
find  a  priest  who  will  tell  me." 

"  Thou  canst  prevent  at  the  court  of  the  pharaoh  a  treaty 
with  Sargon,"  continued  Hiram. 

"  It  is  very  difficult.     I  could  not  do  that  unassisted." 

44  I  will  be  with  thee,  and  Phrenicia  will  find  the  gold.  A  tax 
is  in  course  of  collection  at  present." 

"I  have  given  two  talents  !  "  whispered  Rabsun. 

"  I  will  give  ten/'  added  Dagou.  "  But  what  shall  I  get  for 
my  labor  ?  " 

44  What?     Well,  ten  ships,"  answered  Hiram. 

4'  And  how  much  wilt  thou  gain?"  inquired  Dagon. 

44  Is  ten  not  enough?     Thou  wilt  get  fifteen." 

44 1  ask,  what  wilt  thou  get?"  insisted  Dagon. 

"  We  will  give  —  twenty  ships.     Does  that  suffice  thee? " 

44  Let  it  be  so.  But  will  ye  show  my  ships  the  road  to  the 
country  of  silver  ?  " 

44  We  will  show  it." 

44  And  the  place  where  ye  get  tin?     Well  —  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  209 

"And  the  place  where  amber  is  found?''  continued  Dagon. 

"  May  thou  perish  at  once!  "  answered  the  gracious  Prince 
Hiram,  extending  his  hand.  "  But  thou  wilt  not  keep  up  a 
malignant  heart  toward  me  because  of  those  two  little  flat 
boats  ?  " 

Dagou  sighed. 

"  I  will  work  to  forget.  But  —  what  a  property  I  should  have 
now  if  thou  hadst  not  driven  them  off  at  that  time  !  " 

"  Enough!  "  interrupted  Rabsun  ;    "  talk  of  Phoenicia." 

"  Through  whom  wilt  thou  learn  of  Beroes  and  the  treaty?  " 
asked  Hiram  of  Dagon. 

"  Let  that  drop.  It  is  dangerous  to  speak  of  it,  for  priests 
will  be  involved  in  the  matter." 

"And  through  whom  couldst  thou  ruin  the  treaty?  " 

"  I  think  —  I  think  that  perhaps  through  the  heir  to  the  throne. 
I  have  many  notes  of  his." 

Hiram  raised  his  hand,  and  replied, — 

"  The  heir  —  very  well,  for  he  will  be  pharaoh,  perhaps  even 
soon  —  " 

"  Pst !"  interrupted  Dagon.  striking  the  table  with  his  fist. 
"  May  thou  lose  speech  for  such  language !  " 

"  Here  is  a  wild  boar  for  thee  !  "  cried  Rabsun,  threatening 
the  banker's  nose. 

"  And  thou  art  a  dull  huckster,"  answered  Dagon,  with  a  re 
viling  laugh.  "  Thou,  Rabsun,  shouldst  sell  dried  fish  and  water 
on  the  streets,  but  not  mix  up  in  questions  between  states.  An 
ox  hoof  rubbed  in  Egyptian  mud  has  more  sense  than  thou, 
though  thou  art  living  five  years  in  the  capital  of  light !  Oh 
that  pigs  might  devour  thee  !  " 

4 'Quiet!  quiet!"  called  Hiram.  "Ye  do  not  let  me 
finish." 

"  Speak,  for  thou  art  wise  and  my  heart  understands  thee," 
said  Rabsun. 

"If  thou,  Dagon,  hast  influence  over  the  heir,  that  is  well," 
continued  Hiram.  "For  if  the  heir  wishes  to  have  a  treaty 
with  Assyria  there  will  be  a  treaty,  and  besides  one  writ 
ten  with  our  'blood  on  our  own  skins.  But  if  the  heir  wishes 
war  with  Assyria,  he  will  make  war,  though  the  priests  were 
to  summon  all  the  gods  against  him." 

14 


210  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Pst!"  interrupted  Dagon.  "If  the  priests  wish  greatly, 
there  will  be  a  treaty.  But  perhaps  they  will  not  wish." 

"Therefore,  Dagon,  we  must  have  all  the  military  leaders 
with  us,"  said  Hiram. 

"  We  can." 

"  And  the  nomarchs." 

"  We  can  have  them  too." 

"  And  the  heir,"  continued  Hiram. 

1  'But  if  thou  alone  urge  him  to  war  with  Assyria,  that  is 
nothing.  A  man,  like  a  harp,  has  many  strings,  and  to  play  on 
them  fingers  are  needed,  while  thou,  Dagon,  art  only  one 
finger." 

"But  I  cannot  tear  myself  into  ten  parts." 

"  Thou  mayst  be  like  one  hand  which  has  five  fingers.  Thou 
must  so  act  that  no  one  may  suspect  that  thou  art  for  war,  but 
every  cook  in  the  heir's  kitchen  must  want  war,  every  barber 
of  his  must  want  war,  all  the  bath  men,  and  litter-bearers, 
scribes,  officers,  charioteers  must  want  war  with  Assyria ;  the 
heir  should  hear  war  from  morning  till  night,  and  even  when 
he  is  sleeping." 

"That  will  be  done." 

"But  dost  thou  know  his  mistresses?"  asked  Hiram. 

Dagon  waved  his  hand. 

"  Stupid  girls  !  "  said  he.  "  They  think  only  about  dressing, 
painting,  and  perfuming  themselves;  "  but  whence  these  per 
fumes  come,  and  who  brings  them  to  Egypt,  they  know  not." 

"  We  must  give  him  a  favorite  who  will  know." 

"Where  shall  we  find  her?"  asked  Dagon.  "Ah,  I  have 
it!"  cried  he,  stroking  his  forehead.  "Dost  thou  know 
Kama,  the  priestess  of  Astaroth?" 

"What?"  interrupted  Rabsun,  astounded.  "The  priestess 
of  the  holy  goddess  Astaroth  to  be  a  favorite  of  an  Egyptian  ?  " 

"  Thou  wouldst  prefer  that  she  were  thine,"  sneered  Dagon. 
"  She  can  even  cease  to  be  high  priestess  when  it  is  necessary 
to  bring  her  near  the  court." 

"  Thou  speakest  truth,"  said  Hiram. 

"But  that  is  sacrilege !  "  said  Rabsun,  indignantly. 

"  And  the  priestess  who  commits  it  is  to  die,"  said  the  gray- 
haired  Hiram. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  211 

"  If  only  that  Jewess,  Sarah,  does  not  hinder,"  added  Dagon, 
after  a  moment  of  silence.  "  She  is  waiting  for  a  child  to  which 
the  prince  is  attached  already.  If  a  son  is  born,  all  our  plans 
may  be  thwarted." 

"  We  shall  have  money  for  Sarah  too,"  added  Hiram. 

"  She  will  take  nothing!"  burst  out  Dagon.  "  That  pitiful 
creature  has  refused  gold  and  a  precious  goblet,  which  I  carried 
to  her." 

"  She  did,  for  she  thought  that  thou  hadst  the  wish  to  deceive 
her,"  remarked  Rabsun. 

Hiram  nodded. 

"  There  is  no  cause  for  trouble,"  said  he.  "  Where  gold  has 
not  power,  then  the  father,  the  mother,  or  the  mistress  may 
have  it.  And  if  the  mistress  is  powerless,  there  is  still  —  " 

"  The  knife,"  hissed  Rabsun. 

"  Poison,"  whispered  Dagon. 

"  A  knife  is  a  very  rude  weapon,"  concluded  Hiram. 

He  stroked  his  beard,  thought  awhile ;  at  last  he  rose,  took 
from  his  bosom  a  purple  ribbon  on  which  were  fastened  three 
golden  amulets  with  a  portrait  of  the  goddess  Astaroth.  He 
drew  from  his  girdle  a  knife,  cut  the  ribbon  into  three  parts, 
and  gave  two  of  these  with  the  amulets  to  Dagon  and  Rabsun. 

Then  all  three  went  to  the  middle  of  the  room  to  the  corner 
where  stood  a  winged  statue  of  the  goddess ;  they  put  their 
hands  on  the  statue,  and  Hiram  repeated  in  a  low  voice,  but 
clearly,  — 

' '  To  thee,  0  Mother  of  Life,  we  swear  faithfully  to  observe 
our  agreements,  and  not  to  rest  till  the  sacred  places  be  secure 
from  enemies,  —  may  they  be  destroyed  by  hunger,  fire,  and 
pestilence. 

"And  should  one  of  us  fail  in  his  obligations,  or  betray 
a  secret,  may  all  calamities  and  disgrace  fall  on  him !  May 
hunger  twist  his  entrails,  and  sleep  flee  from  his  bloodshot  eyes  ! 
May  the  hand  of  the  man  wither  who  hastens  to  him  with 
rescue  and  pities  him  in  his  misery!  May  the  bread  on  his 
table  turn  into  rottenness,  and  the  wine  into  stinking  juice! 
May  his  children  die  out,  and  his  house  be  filled  with  bastards 
who  will  spit  on  him  and  expel  him  !  May  he  die  groaning 
through  many  days  in  loneliness,  and  may  neither  earth  nor 


212  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

water  receive  his  vile  carcass,  may  no  fire  burn  it,  no  wild 
beasts  devour  it !  " 

"  Thus  let  it  be  !  " 

After  this  terrible  oath,  which  Hiram  began,  and  the  second 
half  of  which  all  shouted  forth  in  voices  trembling  from  rage, 
the  three  panting  Phoenicians  rested.  After  that  Rabsun  con 
ducted  them  to  a  feast  where  with  wine,  music,  and  dancers 
they  forgot  for  a  time  the  work  awaiting  them. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

NOT  far  from  the  city  of  Pi-Bast  stood  the  temple  of  the 
goddess  Hator. 

In  the  month  Paoni  (March- April),  on  the  day  of  the  vernal 
equinox,  about  nine  in  the  evening,  when  the  star  Sirius  in 
clined  toward  its  setting,  two  wayfaring  priests  and  one  peni 
tent  stopped  in  the  gateway.  The  penitent,  who  was  barefoot, 
had  ashes  on  his  head,  and  was  covered  with  a  coarse  cloth 
which  concealed  his  visage. 

Though  the  air  was  clear,  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  the 
faces  of  those  wayfarers.  They  stood  in  the  shadow  of  two 
immense  statues  of  the  cow-headed  divinity  which  guarded  the 
entrance  to  the  temple  and  with  kindly  eyes  protected  the 
province  of  Habu  from  pestilence,  southern  winds,  and  bad 
overflows. 

When  he  had  rested  somewhat,  the  penitent  fell  with  his  face 
to  the  earth  and  prayed  long  in  that  position.  Then  he  rose, 
took  a  copper  knocker,  and  struck  a  blow.  A  deep  metallic 
sound  went  through  all  the  courts,  reverberated  from  the  thick 
walls  of  the  temple,  and  flew  over  the  wheat-fields,  above  the 
mud  cottages  of  earth- tillers,  over  the  silvery  waters  of  the  Nile, 
where  the  faint  cry  of  wakened  birds  answered  it. 

After  a  long  time  a  murmur  was  heard  inside,  and  the 
question,  — 

"  Who  rouses  us?" 

"  Rameses,  a  slave  of  the  divinity,"  said  the  penitent. 

*'  For  what  hast  thou  come?  " 

"  For  the  light  of  wisdom." 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  213 

"What  right  hast  thou  to  ask  for  it?" 

"I  received  the  inferior  consecration,  and  in  great  proces 
sions  within  the  temple  I  carry  a  torch." 

The  gates  opened  widely.  In  the  centre  stood  a  priest  in  a 
white  robe ;  he  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  said  slowly  and 
distinctly,  — 

"  Enter.  When  thou  crossest  this  threshold,  may  divine 
peace  dwell  in  thy  soul,  and  may  that  be  accomplished  for 
which  thou  implorest  humbly." 

When  the  penitent  had  fallen  at  his  feet,  the  priest,  making 
some  signs  above  his  head,  whispered,  — 

"  In  the  name  of  Him  who  is,  who  has  been,  and  who  will  be, 
who  created  everything,  whose  breath  fills  the  visible  and  the 
invisible  world,  and  who  is  life  eternal." 

When  the  gate  had  closed,  the  priest  took  Rameses  by  the 
hand,  and  in  the  gloom  amid  the  immense  columns  of  the  fore 
court  he  led  him  to  the  dwelling  assigned  to  him.  It  was  a 
small  cell  lighted  by  a  lamp.  On  the  stone  pavement  lay  a 
bundle  of  dry  grass ;  in  a  corner  stood  a  pitcher  of  water,  and 
near  it  was  a  barley  cake. 

"  I  see  that  here  I  shall  have  rest  indeed  after  my  occupa 
tions  with  the  nomarchs,"  said  Rameses,  joyously. 

"Think  of  eternity,"  replied  the  priest;  and  he  with 
drew. 

This  answer  struck  Rameses  disagreeably.  Though  he  was 
hungry,  he  did  not  wish  to  eat  a  cake  or  drink  water.  He  sat 
on  the  grass,  and  looking  at  his  feet  wounded  from  the  journey, 
asked  himself  why  he  had  come,  why  he  had  put  himself  volun 
tarily  out  of  his  office. 

Seeing  the  walls  of  the  cell  and  its  poverty,  he  recalled 
the  years  of  his  boyhood  passed  at  a  priests'  school.  How 
many  blows  of  sticks  he  had  received  there,  how  many  nights 
he  had  passed  on  a  stone  floor  as  punishment !  Even  then 
Rameses  felt  the  hatred  and  fear  which  he  had  felt  before 
toward  that  harsh  priest  who  to  all  his  prayers  and  questions 
answered  only  with,  "  Think  of  eternity." 

After  some  months  of  uproar  to  drop  into  such  silence,  to 
exchange  the  court  of  a  prince  for  obscurity  and  loneliness,  and 
instead  of  feasts,  women,  and  music,  to  feel  around  and  above 


214  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

him  the  weight  of  walls!     "I  have  gone  mad!     I  have  gone 
mad !  "  muttered  Rameses. 

There  was  a  moment  when  he  wished  to  leave  the  temple  at 
once ;  but  afterward  he  thought  that  they  might  not  open  the 
gate  to  him.  The  sight  of  his  dirty  legs,  of  the  ashes  falling 
out  of  his  hair,  the  roughness  of  his  penitential  rags,  all  this 
disgusted  him.  If  he  had  had  his  sword  even  !  But  would 
he,  dressed  as  he  was  in  that  place,  dare  to  use  it? 

He  felt  an  overpowering  dread,  and  that  sobered  him.  lie 
remembered  that  the  gods  in  temples  send  down  fear  on  men, 
and  that  this  fear  must  be  the  beginning  of  wisdom. 

"  Moreover,  I  am  the  viceroy  and  the  heir  of  the  pharaoh," 
thought  he  ;  "  who  will  harm  me  in  this  temple?  " 

He  rose  and  went  out  of  the  cell.  He  found  himself  in  a 
broad  court  surrounded  by  columns.  The  stars  were  shining 
brightly ;  hence  he  saw  at  one  end  of  the  court  an  immense 
pylon,  at  the  other  an  open  entrance  to  the  temple. 

He  went  thither.  At  the  door  there  was  gloom,  and  some 
where  far  off  flamed  a  number  of  lamps,  as  if  in  the  air  and  un 
supported.  Looking  more  attentively,  he  saw  standing  closely 
together  between  the  entrance  and  the  lamps  a  forest  of  col 
umns,  the  tops  of  which  were  lost  in  darkness.  At  a  distance, 
perhaps  two  hundred  yards  from  him,  he  saw  indistinctly  the 
gigantic  legs  of  a  sitting  goddess  with  her  hands  resting  on 
her  knees,  from  which  the  lamplight  was  reflected  dimly. 

All  at  once  he  heard  a  sound  from  afar.  From  a  side  pas 
sage  a  row  of  white  figures  pushed  forth,  moving  in  couples. 
This  was  a  night  procession  of  priests,  who,  singing  in  two 
choruses,  gave  homage  to  the  statue  of  the  goddess  :  Chorus  I. 
"I  am  He  who  created  heaven  and  earth  and  made  all  things 
contained  in  them."  Chorus  II.  u  I  am  He  who  created  the 
waters  and  the  great  overflow,  He  who  made  for  the  bull  his 
mother  whose  parent  he  himself  is."  Chorus  I.  *'  I  am  He  who 
made  heaven  and  the  secrets  of  its  horizon ;  as  to  the  gods  I 
it  was  who  placed  their  souls  in  them."  Chorus  II.  "I  am  He 
who  when  he  opens  his  eyes  there  is  light  in  the  world  and 
when  he  closes  them  darkness  is  present."  Chorus  I.  "  The 
waters  of  the  Nile  flow  when  he  commands."  Chorus  II.  "  But 
the  gods  do  not  know  what  his  name  is."  1 

1  Authentic, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  215 

The  voices,  indistinct  at  first,  grew  stronger,  so  that  each 
word  was  audible,  and  when  the  procession  disappeared  the 
words  scattered  among  the  columns,  growing  ever  fainter.  At 
last  every  sound  ceased. 

"And  still  those  people,"  thought  Rameses,  "not  only  eat, 
drink,  and  gather  wealth  —  they  really  perform  religious  services 
even  in  the  night-time ;  though,  how  is  that  to  affect  the  statue?  " 

The  prince  had  seen  more  than  once  the  statues  of  boundary 
divinities  bespattered  with  mud  by  the  inhabitants  of  another 
province,  or  shot  at  from  bows  or  slings  by  mercenary  soldiers. 
"If  gods  are  not  offended  by  insult,  they  must  also  care  little 
for  prayers  and  processions.  Besides,  who  has  seen  gods?" 
said  the  prince  to  himself. 

The  immensity  of  the  temple,  its  countless  columns,  the  lamps 
burning  in  front  of  the  statue,  —  all  this  attracted  Rameses. 
He  wished  to  look  around  in  that  mysterious  immensity,  and  he 
went  forward.  Then  it  seemed  to  him  that  some  hand  from 
behind  touched  his  head  tenderly.  He  looked  around.  No  one 
was  there  ;  so  he  went  farther. 

This  time  the  two  hands  of  some  person  seized  him  by  the 
head,  and  a  third,  a  great  hand,  rested  on  his  shoulder. 

"Who  is  here?"  cried  the  prince;  and  he  rushed  in  among 
the  columns.  But  he  stumbled  and  almost  fell :  some  one 
caught  him  by  the  feet.  Again  terror  mastered  Rameses  more 
than  in  the  cell.  He  fled  distracted,  knocking  against  columns 
which  seemed  to  bar  the  way  to  him,  and  darkness  closed 
around  the  man  on  all  sides. 

"  Oh,  save,  holy  goddess,  save  me!  "  whispered  he. 

At  this  moment  he  stopped :  some  yards  in  front  of  him 
was  the  great  door  of  a  temple  through  which  the  starry  sky 
was  visible.  He  turned  his  head.  Amid  the  forest  of  gigantic 
columns  lamps  were  burning,  and  the  gleam  of  them  was 
reflected  faintly  from  the  bronze  knees  of  the  holy  Hator. 

The  prince  returned  to  his  cell,  crushed  and  excited ;  hia 
heart  throbbed  like  that  of  a  bird  caught  in  a  net.  For  the 
first  time  in  many  years  he  fell  with  his  face  to  the  earth  and 
prayed  ardently  for  favor  and  forgiveness. 

"Thou  wilt  be  heard,"  answered  a  sweet  voice  above  him. 

Rameses  raised  his  head  quickly,  but  there  was  no  one  in  the 


216  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

cell :  the  door  was  closed,  the  walls  were  thick.  He  prayed  on 
therefore  more  ardently,  and  fell  asleep  in  that  position,  with 
his  face  on  the  stones  and  his  arms  extended. 

When  he  woke  next  morning,  he  was  another  man :  he  had 
experienced  the  might  of  the  gods,  and  favor  had  been  promised. 

From  that  time  through  a  long  series  of  days  he  gave  himself 
to  devotional  exercises  with  faith  and  alacrity.  In  his  cell  he 
spent  long  houre  over  prayers,  he  had  his  head  shaven,  and  put 
on  priestly  garments,  and  four  times  in  twenty-four  hours  he 
took  part  in  a  chorus  of  the  youngest  priests. 

His  past  life,  taken  up  with  amusements,  roused  in  him  aver 
sion,  and  the  disbelief  which  he  had  acquired  amid  foreigners 
and  dissolute  youth  tilled  him  with  dread  in  that  interval.  And 
if  that  day  the  choice  had  been  given  him  to  take  either  the 
throne  or  the  priestly  office,  he  would  have  hesitated. 

A  certain  day  the  great  prophet  of  the  temple  summoned  the 
prince,  and  reminded  him  that  he  had  not  entered  for  prayers 
exclusively,  but  to  learn  wisdom.  The  prophet  praised  his 
devotion,  declared  that  he  was  purified  then  from  worldly  foul 
ness,  and  commanded  him  to  become  acquainted  with  the  schools 
connected  with  that  temple. 

Rather  through  obedience  than  curiosity,  the  prince  went 
directly  from  him  to  the  interior  court,  where  the  department  of 
reading  and  writing  was  situated. 

That  was  a  great  hall,  lighted  through  an  opening  in  the  roof. 
On  mats  some  tens  of  naked  pupils  were  seated  holding  wax 
tablets  in  their  hands.  One  wall  was  of  smooth  alabaster; 
before  it  stood  a  teacher  who  wrote  characters  with  chalks  of 
various  colors. 

When  the  prince  entered,  the  pupils,  almost  all  of  the  same  age 
that  he  was,  fell  on  their  faces.  The  teacher  bowed,  and  stopped 
his  actual  labor  to  explain  to  the  youths  the  great  meaning  of 
knowledge. 

u  My  beloved,"  said  he,  "  a  man  who  has  no  heart  for  wis 
dom  must  occupy  himself  with  handwork  and  torment  his  eye 
sight.  But  he  who  understands  the  worth  of  knowledge  and 
forms  himself  accordingly  may  gain  all  kinds  of  power  and 
every  court  office.  Remember  this.1 

1  Authentic. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  217 

"  Look  at  the  wretched  fate  of  men  unacquainted  with  writing. 
A  smith  is  black  and  grimy,  his  hands  are  full  of  lumps,  and 
lie  toils  night  and  day  all  his  lifetime.  The  quarryman  pulls 
his  arms  out  to  satisfy  his  stomach.  The  mason  while  forming 
a  capital  in  lotus  shape  is  hurled  off  by  wind  from  the  scaffold. 
A  weaver  has  bent  knees,  a  maker  of  weapons  is  ever  travelling: 
barely  does  he  come  to  his  house  in  the  evening  when  he  must 
leave  it.  The  fingers  of  a  wall  painter  smell  disagreeably,  and 
his  time  passes  in  trimming  up  trifles.  The  courier  when  taking 
farewell  of  his  family  must  leave  a  will,  for  he  may  have  to 
meet  wild  beasts  or  Asiatics. 

u  I  have  shown  you  the  lot  of  men  of  various  labors,  for  I 
wish  you  to  love  writing,  which  is  your  mother,  and  now  I  will 
present  to  you  its  beauties.  It  is  not  an  empty  word  on  earth, 
it  is  the  most  important  of  all  occupations.  He  who  makes 
use  of  writing  is  respected  from  childhood ;  he  accomplishes 
every  great  mission.  But  he  who  takes  no  part  in  it  lives  on 
in  wretchedness.  School  sciences  are  as  difficult  as  mountains, 
but  one  day  of  them  lasts  through  eternity.  So  learn  quickly 
and  you  will  love  them.  The  scribe  has  a  princely  position ; 
his  pen  and  his  book  win  him  wealth  and  acceptance." 

After  a  sounding  discourse  on  the  dignity  of  knowledge,  a 
discourse  which  Egyptian  pupils  had  heard  without  change  for 
three  millenniums,  the  master  took  chalk  and  on  the  alabaster 
wall  began  to  write  the  alphabet.  Each  letter  was  expressed 
through  a  number  of  hieroglyphs,  or  a  number  of  demotic 
characters.  The  picture  of  an  eye,  a  bird,  or  a  panther  signi 
fied  J.,  a  sheep  or  a  pot  B,  a  man  standing  or  a  boat  K,  a 
serpent  R,  a  man  sitting  or  a  star  S.  The  abundance  of  signs 
expressing  each  sound  made  the  art  of  reading  or  writing  ex 
tremely  laborious. 

Rameses  was  wearied  by  mere  listening,  during  which  the 
only  relief  was  when  the  teacher  commanded  some  pupil  to 
draw,  or  to  name  some  letter,  and  beat  him  with  a  cane  when 
he  failed  in  his  effort. 

Taking  farewell  of  the  teacher  and  the  pupils,  the  prince 
from  the  school  of  scribes  passed  to  the  school  of  surveyors. 
There  they  taught  youth  to  draw  plans  of  fields  which  were  for 
the  most  part  rectangular,  also  to  take  the  elevation  of  land  by 


218  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

means  of  two  laths  and  a  square.  In  this  department  also  they 
explained  the  art  of  writing  numbers  no  less  involved  in  hiero 
glyphic  or  demotic  characters.  But  pure  arithmetical  problems 
formed  a  higher  course,  and  were  solved  by  means  of  bullets. 

Rameses  had  enough  of  this,  and  only  after  some  days  would 
he  visit  the  school  of  medicine. 

This  was  also  a  hospital,  or  rather  great  garden  containing  a 
multitude  of  fragrant  plants  and  trees.  Patients  passed  whole 
days  in  the  open  air  and  in  sunlight,  on  beds  where  strips  of 
stretched  canvas  took  the  place  of  mattresses. 

The  greatest  activity  reigned  when  the  prince  entered. 
Some  patients  were  bathing  in  a  pond  of  running  water;  atten 
dants  were  rubbing  one  man  with  fragrant  ointments,  and  burn 
ing  perfumes  before  another.  There  were  some  whom  they  had 
put  to  sleep  by  looking  at  them  and  by  stretching  out  their 
bodies ;  one  patient  was  groaning  while  they  were  setting  his 
sprained  ankle. 

To  a  certain  woman  who  was  grievously  sick  the  priest  was 
giving  some  mixture  from  a  goblet,  while  uttering  an  enchant 
ment  which  had  power  in  connection  with  this  remedy,  — 

"  Go,  cure,  go,  drive  thatoutof  my  heart,  out  of  my  members."1 

Then  the  prince  in  company  with  a  great  leech  went  to  the 
pharmacy,  where  one  of  the  priests  was  preparing  cures  from 
plants,  honey,  olive  oil,  from  the  skins  of  serpents  and  lizards, 
from  the  bones  and  fat  of  beasts.  When  Rameses  questioned 
him,  the  man  did  not  take  his  eyes  from  the  work.  He  looked 
continually,  and  ground  the  materials,  uttering  a  prayer  as  he 
did  so,  — 

"  Thou  hast  cured  Isis,  thou  hast  cured  Isis,  thou  hast  cured 
Horus  —  O  Isis,  great  enchantress,  make  me  well,  free  me  from 
all  evil,  from  harmful  red  things,  from  fever  of  the  god,  from 
fever  of  the  goddess l  — 

"O  Shauagat,  eenagate,  synie  !  Erukate !  Kauaruchagate ! 
Paparauka  paparaka  paparura." 

if  What  is  he  saying?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"  A  secret,"  answered  the  leech,  putting  his  finger  on  his  lips. 

When  they  came  out  to  an  empty  court,  Rameses  said  to  the 
great  leech,  — 

1  Authentic. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  219 

"  Tell  me,  holy  father,  what  is  the  art  of  caring,  and  what 
are  its  methods.  For  I  have  heard  that  sickness  is  an  evil 
spirit  which  settles  in  a  man  and  torments  him,  because  it  is 
hungry,  until  it  receives  the  food  that  it  wishes.  And  that  one 
evil  spirit  or  sickness  feeds  on  honey,  another  on  olive  oil,  and 
a  third  on  the  excreta  of  animals.  A  leech,  therefore,  should 
know  first  what  spirit  has  settled  in  the  sick  man,  and  then  what 
kind  of  nourishment  is  required  by  that  spirit,  so  that  it  should 
not  torture  the  patient." 

The  priest  thought  awhile  and  then  answered,  — 

"  What  sickness  is  and  in  what  way  it  falls  on  the  human 
body,  I  cannot  tell,  O  Rameses.  But  to  thee  I  will  explain, 
for  thou  hast  been  purified,  how  we  govern  ourselves  in  giving 
medicine. 

u  Suppose  a  given  man  to  be  sick  in  the  liver.  We  priests 
know  that  the  liver  is  under  the  star  Peneter-Deva,1  that  the 
cure  must  depend  on  that  star. 

"  But  here  the  sages  are  divided  into  two  schools.  Some 
assert  that  it  is  necessary  to  give  the  man  who  is  sick  in  his 
liver  things  over  which  Peneter-Deva  has  influence,  therefore 
copper,  lapis  lazuli,  extract  of  flowers,  above  all  verbena  and 
valerian,  finally,  various  parts  of  the  body  of  the  turtle-dove  and 
the  goat.  Other  leeches  consider  that  when  the  liver  is  dis 
eased  it  is  necessary  to  cure  it  with  just  the  opposite  remedies, 
and  the  opponent  of  Peneter-Deva  being  Sebek,2  to  give  quick 
silver,  emerald,  and  agate,  hazel-wood  and  coltsfoot,  also  parts 
of  the  body  of  a  toad  and  an  owl  rubbed  into  powder. 

"But this  is  not  all,  for  it  is  necessary  to  think  of  the  day,  the 
month,  and  the  hour  of  the  day,  for  each  of  these  spaces  of 
time  are  under  the  influence  of  a  star  which  must  support  or 
weaken  the  action  of  the  medicine.  Besides,  it  is  needful  to  re 
member  what  star  and  what  sign  of  the  Zodiac  rules  the  sick 
person.  Only  when  the  leech  considers  all  these  can  he  pre 
scribe  an  infallible  remedy." 

"  And  do  ye  help  all  sick  people  in  the  temple?" 

The  priest  shook  his  head. 

"  No.  The  mind  of  man,  which  should  take  in  all  these  de 
tails  of  which  I  have  spoken,  makes  mistakes  very  easily.  And 
1  Planet  Veuus.  '*  Planet  Mercury. 


220  THE    PHARAOH    AND  THE    PRIEST 

what  is  worse,  envious  spirits,  the  geniuses  of  other  temples, 
jealous  of  their  fame,  frequently  hinder  the  leech  and  destroy 
the  effect  of  his  medicines.  The  result,  therefore,  may  be  that 
one  patient  will  return  to  perfect  health,  another  simply  grows 
better,  while  a  third  remains  without  change,  though  there  hap 
pen  some  who  become  still  sicker,  or  even  die  —  This  is  as  the 
gods  will !  " 

The  prince  listened  with  attention,  but  confessed  in  soul  that 
he  did  not  understand  greatly.  All  at  once  he  recalled  the 
object  of  his  visit  to  the  temple,  and  inquired  of  the  great  leech 
unexpectedly,  — 

"  Ye  were  to  show  me,  holy  father,  the  secret  of  the  treasure 
of  the  pharaoh.  Was  it  those  things  which  we  have  seen  ?  " 

"  By  no  means.  We  know  nothing  of  state  affairs.  But 
when  the  great  seer  comes,  the  holy  priest  Pentuer,  he  will  re 
move  from  thy  eyes  the  curtain." 

Rameses  took  leave  of  the  leech  with  increased  curiosity  as 
to  what  they  were  to  show  him. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  temple  received  Pentuer  with  great  honor,  and  the 
inferior  priests  went  out  half  an  hour's  journey  to  greet 
him.  From  all  the  wonderful  places  of  Lower  Egypt  many 
prophets  had  assembled  with  the  intent  to  hear  words  of  wis 
dom.  A  couple  of  days  later  came  the  high  priest  Mefres  and 
the  prophet  Mentezufis.  These  two  rendered  honor  to  Pentuer, 
not  only  because  he  was  a  counsellor  of  Herhor  and  notwith 
standing  his  youth  a  member  of  the  supreme  college,  but  be 
cause  this  priest  enjoyed  favor  throughout  Egypt.  The  gods 
had  given  him  a  memory  which  seemed  more  than  human ;  they 
had  given  him  eloquence,  and  above  all  a  marvellous  gift  of 
clear  vision.  In  every  affair  he  saw  points  hidden  from  others, 
and  was  able  to  explain  them  in  a  way  understood  by  all 
listeners. 

More  than  one  nomarch,  or  high  official  of  the  pharaoh,  on 
learning  that  Pentuer  was  to  celebrate  a  religious  solemnity  in 
the  temple  of  Hator,  envied  the  humblest  priest,  since  he  would 
hear  a  man  inspired  by  divinities. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  221 

The  priests  who  went  forth  to  greet  Pentuer  felt  sure  that 
that  dignitary  would  show  himself  in  a  court  chariot,  or  in  a 
litter  borne  by  eight  slaves.  What  was  their  amazement  at 
beholding  a  lean  ascetic,  bareheaded,  wearing  a  coarse  gar 
ment,  riding  on  a  she  ass,  and  unattended  !  He  greeted  them 
with  great  humility,  and  when  they  conducted  him  to  the  tem 
ple  he  made  an  offering  to  the  divinity  and  went  straightway  to 
examine  the  place  of  the  coming  festival. 

Thenceforth  no  one  saw  Pentuer,  but  in  the  temple  and  the 
adjoining  courts  there  was  an  uncommon  activity.  Men 
brought  costly  furniture,  grain,  garments.  A  number  of  hun 
dreds  of  pupils  and  workmen  were  freed  from  their  employments ; 
with  these  Pentuer  shut  himself  up  in  the  court  and  worked  at 
preparations. 

After  eight  days  of  hard  labor  he  informed  the  high  priest  of 
Hator  that  all  things  were  ready. 

During  this  time  Prince  Rameses,  who  was  hidden  in  his  cell, 
gave  himself  up  to  prayer  and  fasting.  At  last  on  a  certain 
date  about  three  hours  after  midday  a  number  of  priests,  ar 
rayed  in  two  ranks,  came  and  invited  him  to  the  solemnity. 

In  the  vestibule  of  the  temple  the  high  priest  greeted  the 
prince,  and  with  him  burned  incense  before  the  great  statue  of 
Hator.  Then  they  turned  to  a  low,  narrow  corridor,  at  the  end 
of  which  a  fire  was  burning.  The  air  of  the  corridor  was  filled 
with  the  odor  of  pitch  which  was  boiling  in  a  kettle.  Near  the 
kettle,  through  an  opening  in  the  pavement,  rose  dreadful 
groans  and  curses. 

"What  does  that  mean?"  inquired  Rameses  of  a  priest 
among  those  attending  him. 

The  priest  gave  no  answer ;  on  the  faces  as  far  as  could  be 
seen  emotion  and  terror  were  evident. 

At  this  moment  the  high  priest  Mefres  seized  a  great 
ladle,  took  boiling  pitch  from  the  kettle,  and  said  in  loud 
accents,  - 

"  May  all  perish  thus  who  divulge  temple  secrets !  " 

Next  he  poured  pitch  into  the  opening  in  the  pavement,  and 
from  below  came  a  roar,  — 

"Ye  are  killing  me.  Oh,  if  ye  have  in  your  hearts  even  a 
trace  of  compassion,"  groaned  a  voice, 


222  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"May  the  worms  gnaw  thy  body,"  said  Mentezufis,  as  he 
poured  melted  pitch  into  the  opening. 

"  Dogs  —  jackals  !  "  groaned  the  voice. 

"  May  thy  heart  be  consumed  by  fire  and  its  ashes  be  hurled 
into  the  desert,"  said  the  next  priest,  repeating  the  ceremony. 

"  O  gods !  is  it  possible  to  suffer  as  I  do?"  was  the  answer 
from  beneath  the  pavement. 

"  May  thy  soul,  with  the  image  of  its  shame  and  its  crime, 
wander  onward  through  places  where  live  happy  people,"  said 
a  second  priest ;  and  he  poured  another  ladle  of  burning  pitch 
into  the  aperture. 

"  Oh,  may  the  earth  devour  you  !  — mercy  !  —  let  me  breathe  ! " 

Before  the  turn  came  to  Rameses  the  voice  underground  was 
silent. 

"  So  do  the  gods  punish  traitors,"  said  the  high  priest  of  the 
temple  to  the  viceroy. 

The  prince  halted,  and  fixed  on  him  eyes  full  of  anger.  It 
seemed  to  Rameses  that  he  would  burst  out  with  indignation, 
and  leave  that  assembly  of  executioners  ;  but  he  felt  a  fear  of 
the  gods  and  advanced  behind  others  in  silence. 

The  haughty  heir  understood  now  that  there  was  a  power 
before  which  the  pharaohs  incline.  He  was  seized  by  despair 
almost;  he  wished  to  flee,  to  renounce  -the  throne.  Meanwhile 
he  held  silence  and  walked  on,  surrounded  by  priests  chanting 
prayers. 

"  Now  I  know,"  thought  he,  "  where  people  go  who  are  un 
pleasant  to  the  servants  of  divinity."  But  this  thought  did  not 
decrease  his  horror. 

Leaving  the  narrow  corridor  full  of  smoke,  the  procession 
found  itself  on  an  elevation  beneath  the  open  sky.  Below  was 
an  immense  court  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  low  buildings 
instead  of  a  wall.  From  the  place  where  the  priests  halted  was 
a  kind  of  amphitheatre  with  five  broad  platforms  by  which  it 
was  possible  to  pass  along  the  whole  court  or  to  descend  to 
the  bottom. 

In  the  court  no  one  was  present,  but  certain  people  were 
looking  out  of  buildings. 

The  high  priest  Mefres,  as  chief  dignitary  in  the  assembly, 
presented  Pentuer  to  the  viceroy.  The  mild  face  of  the  ascetic 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  223 

did  not  harmonize  with  the  horrors  which  had  taken  place  in 
the  corridor ;  so  the  prince  wondered.  To  say  something,  he 
said  to  Pentuer.,  — 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  met  thee  somewhere,  pious 
father?" 

"  The  past  year  at  the  manoeuvres  near  Pi-Bailos.  I  was 
there  with  his  worthiness  Herhor." 

The  resonant  and  calm  voice  of  Pentuer  arrested  the  prince. 
He  had  heard  that  voice  on  some  uncommon  occasion.  But 
where  and  when  had  he  heard  it? 

In  every  case  the  priest  made  an  agreeable  impression.  If 
he  could  only  forget  the  cries  of  that  man  whom  they  had 
covered  with  boiling  pitch ! 

u  We  may  begin,"  said  Mefres. 

Pentuer  went  to  the  middle  of  the  amphitheatre  and  clapped 
his  hands.  From  the  low  buildings  a  crowd  of  female  dan 
cers  issued  forth,  and  priests  came  out  with  music,  also  with  a 
small  statue  of  the  goddess  Hator.  The  musicians  preceded, 
the  dancers  followed,  performing  a  sacred  dance ;  finally  the 
statue  moved  on  surrounded  by  the  smoke  of  censers.  In  this 
way  they  went  around  the  court  and  stopping  after  every  few 
steps,  implored  the  divinity  for  a  blessing,  and  asked  evil  spirits 
to  leave  the  enclosure,  where  there  was  to  be  a  solemnity  full  of 
secrets. 

When  the  procession  had  returned  to  the  buildings,  Pentuer 
stepped  forward.  Dignitaries  present  to  the  number  of  two  or 
three  hundred  gathered  round  him. 

"By  the  will  of  his  holiness  the  pharaoh,"  began  Pentuer, 
"  and  with  consent  of  the  supreme  priestly  power,  we  are  to 
initiate  the  heir  to  the  throne,  Rameses,  into  some  details  of 
life  in  Egypt,  details  known  only  to  the  divinities  who  govern 
the  country  and  the  temples.  I  know,  worthy  fathers,  that  each 
of  you  would  enlighten  the  young  prince  better  in  these  things 
than  I  can;  ye  are  full  of  wisdom,  and  the  goddess  Mut  speaks 
through  you.  But  since  the  duty  has  fallen  on  me,  who  in 
presence  of  you  am  but  dust  and  a  pupil,  permit  me  to  accom 
plish  it  under  your  worthy  inspection  and  guidance." 

A  murmur  of  satisfaction  was  heard  among  the  learned 
priests  at  this  manner.  Pentuer  turned  to  the  viceroy. 


224  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

1  'For  some  months,  O  servant  of  the  gods,  Rameses,  as  a 
traveller  lost  in  the  desert  seeks  a  road,  so  thou  art  seeking  an 
answer  to  the  question :  Why  has  the  income  of  the  holy 
pharaoh  diminished,  and  why  is  it  decreasing?  Thou  hast 
asked  the  nomarchs,  and  though  they  explained  according  to 
their  power,  thou  wert  not  satisfied,  though  the  highest  human 
wisdom  belongs  to  those  dignitaries.  Thou  didst  turn  to  the 
chief  scribes,  but  in  spite  of  their  efforts  these  men  were  like 
birds  in  a  net,  unable  to  free  themselves  without  assistance, 
for  the  reason  of  man,  though  trained  in  the  school  of  scribes, 
is  not  in  a  position  to  take  in  the  immensity  of  these  ques 
tions.  At  last,  wearied  by  barren  explanations,  thou  didst 
examine  the  lands  of  the  provinces,  their  people,  the  works  of 
their  hands,  but  didst  arrive  at  nothing.  For  there  are  things 
of  which  people  are  silent  as  stones,  but  concerning  which  even 
stones  will  give  answer  if  light  from  the  gods  only  falls  on  them. 

"When  in  this  manner  all  these  earthly  powers  and  wisdoms 
disappointed  thee,  thou  didst  turn  to  the  gods.  Barefoot,  thy 
head  sprinkled  with  ashes,  thou  didst  come  in  the  guise  of  a 
penitent  to  this  great  sanctuary,  where  by  means  of  suffering 
and  prayer  thou  hast  purified  thy  body  and  strengthened  thy 
spirit.  The  gods  —  but  especially  the  mighty  Hator  —  listened 
to  thy  prayers,  and  through  my  unworthy  lips  give  an  answer, 
and  mayst  thou  write  it  down  in  thy  heart  profoundly." 

"  Whence  does  he  know,"  thought  the  prince,  meanwhile, 
"  that  I  asked  the  scribes  and  nomarchs?  Aha!  Me f res  and 
Mentezufis  told  him.  For  that  matter,  they  know  everything." 

"  Listen,"  continued  Pentuer,  "  and  I  will  discover  to  thee, 
with  permission  of  these  dignitaries,  what  Egypt  was  four  hun 
dred  years  ago  in  the  reign  of  the  most  glorious  and  pious 
nineteenth  Theban  dynasty,  and  what  it  is  at  present. 

"  When  the  first  pharaoh  of  that  dynasty,  Ramen-Pehuti- 
Ramessu,  assumed  powrer  over  the  country,  the  income  of  the 
treasury  in  wheat,  cattle,  beer,  skins,  vessels,  and  various  arti 
cles  rose  to  a  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  talents.  If  a  people 
had  existed  who  could  exchange  gold  for  all  these  goods, 
the  pharaoh  would  have  had  yearly  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  thousand  minas  of  gold.1  And  since  one  warrior  can 
1  Mina  =  one  and  a  half  kilograms. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  225 

carry  on  his  shoulders  the  weight  of  twenty-six  minas,  about 
five  thousand  warriors  would  have  been  needed  to  carry  that 
treasure." 

The  priests  whispered  to  one  another  without  hiding  their 
wonder.  Even  the  prince  forgot  the  man  tortured  to  death 
beneath  the  pavement. 

"  To-day,"  said  Pentuer,  "  the  yearly  income  of  his  holiness 
for  all  products  of  his  laud  is  worth  only  ninety-eight  thousand 
talents.  For  these  it  would  be  possible  to  obtain  as  much  gold 
as  four  thousand  warriors  could  carry." 

"That  the  income  of  the  state  has  decreased  greatly,  I 
know,"  said  Rameses,  "but  what  is  the  cause  of  this?" 

"  Be  patient,  O  servant  of  the  gods,"  replied  Pentuer.  "It  is 
not  the  income  of  his  holiness  alone  that  is  subject  to  decrease. 
During  the  nineteenth  dynasty  Egypt  had  under  arms  one 
hundred  and  eight}7  thousand  warriors.  If  by  the  action  of  the 
gods  every  soldier  of  that  time  had  been  turned  into  a  pebble 
the  size  of  a  grape  —  " 

"  That  cannot  be  !  "  said  Rameses. 

"The  gods  can  do  anything,"  answered  Mefres,  the  high 
priest,  severely. 

"But  better,"  continued  Pentuer,  "if  each  soldier  were  to 
place  on  the  ground  one  pebble,  there  would  be  one  hundred 
and  eighty  thousand  pebbles ;  and,  look,  worthy  fathers,  these 
pebbles  would  occupy  so  much  space."  He  pointed  to  a 
quadrangle  of  reddish  color  in  the  court.  "  In  this  figure  the 
pebbles  deposited  by  warriors  of  the  time  of  Rameses  I. 
would  find  their  places.  This  figure  is  nine  yards  long  and 
about  five  wide.  This  figure  is  ruddy ;  it  has  the  color  of 
Egyptian  bodies,  for  in  those  days  all  our  warriors  were 
Egyptian  exclusively." 

The  priests  began  to  whisper  a  second  time.  The  prince 
frowned,  for  that  seemed  to  him  a  reprimand,  since  he  loved 
foreign  soldiers. 

"To-day,"  said  Pentuer,  "we  assemble  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  warriors  with  great  difficulty.  If  each  one  of 
those  cast  his  pebble  on  the  ground,  they  would  form  a  figure 
of  this  sort.  Look  this  way,  worthiness."  At  the  side  of  the 
first  quadrangle  lay  a  second  of  the  same  width,  but  consider- 

15 


226  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ably  shorter ;  its  color  was  not  uniform  either,  but  was  com 
posed  of  a  number  of  colors.  "  This  figure,"  said  Pentuer, 
"  is  about  five  yards  wide,  but  is  only  six  yards  in  length.  An 
immense  number  of  men  is  now  lacking,  —  our  army  has  lost 
one-third  of  its  warriors." 

"  Wisdom  of  men  like  thee,  O  prophet,  will  bring  more  good 
to  the  state  than  an  army,"  interrupted  the  high  priest. 

Peutuer  bent  before  him  and  continued,  — 

"In  this  new  figure  which  represents  the  present  army  of 
the  pharaoh  ye  see,  worthy  men,  besides  the  ruddy  color  which 
designates  Egyptians  by  blood,  three  other  stripes,  —  black, 
white,  and  yellow.  They  represent  mercenary  divisions,  — 
Ethiopians,  Asiatics,  Greeks,  and  Libyans.  There  are  thirty 
thousand  of  them  altogether,  but  they  cost  as  much  as  fifty 
thousand  Egyptians." 

"  We  must  do  away  with  foreign  regiments  at  the  earliest," 
said  Mefres.  "  They  are  costly,  unsuitable,  and  teach  our 
people  infidelity  and  insolence.  At  present  there  are  many 
Egyptians  who  do  not  fall  on  their  faces  before  the  priests  ; 
more,  some  of  them  have  gone  so  far  as  to  steal  from  graves 
and  temples." 

"  Therefore  away  with  the  mercenaries  !  "  said  Mefres,  pas 
sionately.  "  The  country  has  received  from  them  nothing  save 
harm,  and  our  neighbors  suspect  us  of  hostile  ideas." 

"  Away  with  mercenaries!  Dismiss  these  unruly  infidels  !" 
cried  the  priests. 

u  When  in  years  to  come,  O  Rameses,  thou  wilt  ascend  the 
throne,"  added  Mefres,  "  thou  wilt  fulfil  this  sacred  duty  to 
the  gods  and  to  Egypt." 

"  Yes,  fulfil  it!  free  thy  people  from  unbelievers!"  cried 
the  priests. 

Rameses  bent  his  head,  and  was  silent.  The  blood  flew  to 
his  heart.  He  felt  that  the  ground  was  trembling  under  him. 

He  was  to  dismiss  the  best  part  of  the  army,  —  he,  who  would 
like  to  have  twice  as  great  an  army  and  four  times  as  many 
mercenary  warriors. 

"  They  are  pitiless  with  me,"  thought  Rameses. 

"  Speak  on,  O  Pentuer,  sent  down  from  heaven  to  us,"  said 
Mefres. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  227 

"  So  then,  holy  men,"  continued  Pentuer,  "  we  have  learned 
of  two  misfortunes,  —  the  pharaoh'a  income  has  decreased,  and 
his  army  is  diminished." 

"  What  need  of  an  army?  "  grumbled  the  high  priest,  shaking 
his  head  contemptuously. 

' k  And  now,  with  the  favor  of  the  gods  and  your  permission,  I 
will  explain  why  it  has  happened  thus,  why  the  treasury  will 
decrease  further,  and  troops  be  still  fewer  in  the  future." 

The  prince  raised  his  head  and  looked  at  the  speaker.  He 
thought  no  longer  now  of  the  man  put  to  death  beneath  the 
corridor. 

Pentuer  passed  a  number  of  steps  along  the  amphitheatre, 
and  after  him  the  dignitaries. 

"  Do  ye  see  at  your  feet  that  long,  narrow  strip  of  green 
with  a  broad  triangular  space  at  the  end  of  it?  On  both  sides 
of  the  strip  lie  limestone,  granite,  and,  behind  these,  sanely 
places.  In  the  middle  of  the  green  flows  a  stream,  which  in  the 
triangular  space  is  divided  into  a  number  of  branches." 

"  That  is  the  Nile  !  That  is  Egypt !  "  cried  the  priests. 

"  But  look,"  interrupted  Mefres,  with  emotion.  "  I  will  dis 
cover  the  river.  Do  ye  see  those  two  blue  veins  running  from 
the  elbow  to  the  hand  ?  Is  not  that  the  Nile  and  its  canals, 
which  begins  opposite  the  Alabaster  mountains  and  flows  to 
Fayum  ?  And  look  at  the  back  of  my  hand  :  there  are  as  many 
veins  there  as  the  sacred  river  has  branches  below  Memphis. 
And  do  not  my  fingers  remind  you  of  the  number  of  branches 
through  which  the  Nile  sends  its  waters  to  the  sea? " 

"A  great  truth!"  exclaimed  the  priests,  looking  at  their 
hands. 

"  Here,  I  tell  you,"  continued  the  excited  high  priest,  "  that 
Egypt  is  the  trace  of  the  arm  of  Osiris.  Here  on  this  land  the 
great  god  rested  his  arm  :  in  Thebes  lay  his  divine  elbow,  his 
lingers  reached  the  sea,  and  the  Nile  is  his  veins.  What  won 
der  that  we  call  this  country  blessed !  " 

"  Evidently,"  said  the  priest,  "  Egypt  is  the  express  imprint 
of  the  arm  of  Osiris." 

"  Has  Osiris  seven  fingers  on  his  hand,"  interrupted  the 
prince,  "  for  the  Nile  has  seven  branches  falling  into  the 
sea?  " 


228  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Deep  silence  followed. 

"Young  man,"  retorted  Mefres,  with  kindly  irony,  "dost 
suppose  that  Osiris  could  not  have  seven  fingers  if  it  pleased 
him?" 

"  Of  course  he  could  !  "  said  the  other  priests. 

44  Speak  on,  renowned  Pentuer,"  said  Mentezufis. 

"  Ye  are  right,  worthy  fathers,"  began  Pentuer  :  "  this  stream 
with  its  branches  is  a  picture  of  the  Nile ;  the  narrow  strip  of 
green  bounded  by  stones  and  sand  is  Upper  Egypt,  and  that 
triangular  space,  cut  with  veins,  is  a  picture  of  Lower  Egypt, 
the  most  extensive  and  richest  part  of  the  country. 

"  Well,  in  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  dynasty,  all  Egypt, 
from  the  cataract  to  the  sea,  included  five  hundred  thousand 
measures  of  land.  On  every  measure  lived  sixteen  persons : 
men,  women,  and  children.  But  during  four  hundred  succeed 
ing  years  almost  with  each  generation  a  piece  of  fertile  soil  was 
lost  to  Egypt." 

The  speaker  made  a  sign.  A  number  of  young  priests  ran 
out  of  the  building  and  sprinkled  sand  on  various  parts  of  the 
green  area. 

"  During  each  generation,"  continued  the  priest,  u  fertile 
land  diminished,  and  the  narrow  strip  of  it  became  much 
narrower.  At  present  our  country  instead  of  five  hundred 
thousand  measures  has  only  four  hundred  thousand  —  or  dur 
ing  two  dynasties  Egypt  has  lost  laud  which  supported  two 
millions  of  people." 

In  the  assembly  again  rose  a  murmur  of  horror. 

"And  dost  thou  know,  O  Rameses,  servant  of  the  gods, 
whither  those  spaces  have  vanished  where  on  a  time  were  fields 
of  wheat  and  barley,  or  where  flocks  and  herds  pastured? 
Thou  knowest  that  sands  of  the  desert  have  covered  them. 
But  has  any  one  told  thee  why  this  came  to  pass?  It  came  to 
pass  because  there  was  a  lack  of  men  who  with  buckets  and 
ploughs  fight  the  desert  from  morning  till  evening.  Finally, 
dost  thou  know  why  these  toilers  of  the  gods  disappeared? 
Whither  did  they  go?  What  swept  them  out  of  the  country? 
Foreign  wars  did  it.  Our  nobles  conquered  enemies,  our 
pharaohs  immortalized  their  worthy  names  as  far  away  as 
the  Euphrates  River,  but  like  beasts  of  burden  our  common 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  229 

men  carried  food  for  them,  they  carried  water,  they  carried 
other  weights,  and  died  along  the  road  by  thousands. 

1 '  To  avenge  those  bones  scattered  now  throughout  eastern 
deserts,  the  western  sands  have  swallowed  our  fields,  and 
it  would  require  immense  toil  and  many  generations  to  win 
back  that  dark  Egyptian  earth  from  the  sand  grave  which 
covers  it." 

"  Listen!  listen!"  cried  Mefres,  "some  god  is  speaking 
through  the  lips  of  Pentuer.  It  is  true  that  our  victorious  wars 
are  the  grave  of  Egypt." 

Rameses  could  not  collect  his  thoughts.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  mountains  of  sand  were  falling  on  his  head  at  that 
moment. 

"I  have  said,"  continued  Pentuer,  "that  great  labor  would 
be  needed  to  dig  out  Egypt  and  restore  the  old-time  wealth 
devoured  by  warfare.  But  have  we  the  power  to  carry  out 
that  project?  " 

Again  he  advanced  some  steps,  and  after  him  the  excited 
listeners.  Since  Egypt  became  Egypt,  no  one  had  displayed  so 
searchingly  the  disasters  of  the  country,  though  all  men  knew 
that  they  had  happened. 

"  During  the  nineteenth  dynasty  Egypt  had  eight  millions  of 
inhabitants.  If  every  man,  woman,  old  man,  and  child  had  put 
down  in  this  place  one  bean,  the  grains  would  make  a  figure  of 
this  kind." 

He  indicated  with  his  hand  a  court  where  one  by  the  side  of 
another  lay  eight  great  quadrangles  covered  with  red  beans. 

"That  figure  is  sixty  yards  long,  thirty  yards  wide,  and  as 
ye  see,  pious  fathers,  the  grains  composing  it  are  of  the  same 
kind,  for  the  people  of  that  time  were  from  P^gyptian  grand 
fathers  and  great-grandfathers.  But  look  now." 

He  went  farther,  and  indicated  another  group  of  quadrangles 
of  various  colors. 

"Ye  see  this  figure  which  is  thirty  yards  wide,  but  only 
forty-five  yards  in  length.  Why  is  this?  Because  there  are  in  it 
only  six  quadrangles,  for  at  present  Egypt  has  not  eight,  but 
only  six  millions  of  inhabitants.  Consider,  besides,  that  as  the 
former  figure  was  composed  exclusively  of  red  Egyptian  beans 
in  the  present  one  are  immense  strips  of  black,  yellow,  and 


230  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

white  beans.  For  in  our  army  and  among  the  people  there  are 
now  very  many  foreigners :  black  Ethiopians,  yellow  Syrians 
and  Phoenicians,  white  Greeks  and  Libyans." 

They  interrupted  him.  The  priests  who  listened  began  to 
embrace  him ;  Metres  was  weeping. 

44  Never  yet  has  there  been  such  a  prophet.  One  cannot 
imagine  when  he  could  make  such  calculations,"  said  the  best 
mathematician  in  the  temple  of  Hator. 

"  Fathers,"  said  Pentuer,  "  do  not  overestimate  my  services. 
Long  years  ago  in  our  temples  the  condition  of  the  state  was 
represented  in  this  manner.  I  have  only  disinterred  that  which 
later  generations  had  in  some  degree  forgotten." 

"  But  the  reckoning?  "    asked  the  mathematician. 

4 'The  reckonings  are  continued  unbrokenly  in  all  the  prov 
inces  and  temples,"  replied  Pentuer.  44The  general  amounts 
are  found  in  the  palace  of  his  holiness." 

44  But  the  figures?"  exclaimed  the  mathematician. 

u  Our  fields  are  arranged  in  just  such  figures,  and  the  geome 
ters  of  the  state  study  them  at  school." 

44  We  know  not  what  to  admire  most  in  this  priest,  his  wis 
dom  or  his  humility,"  said  Mefres.  "Since  we  have  such  a 
man,  the  gods  have  not  forgotten  us." 

At  that  moment  the  guard  watching  on  the  pylons  of  the 
temple  summoned  those  present  to  prayer. 

44  In  the  evening  I  will  finish  the  explanations,"  said  Pentuer; 
44  now  I  will  say  a  few  words  in  addition. 

4 'Ye  inquire,  worthy  fathers,  why  I  use  beans  for  these 
pictures.  <  I  do  so  because  a  grain  put  in  the  ground  brings  a 
harvest  to  the  husbandmen  yearly ;  so  a  man  brings  tribute 
every  year  to  the  treasury. 

44  If  in  any  province  two  million  less  beans  are  sown  than  in 
past  years,  the  following  harvest  will  be  notably  less,  and  the 
earth-tillers  will  have  a  poorer  income.  In  the  state  also,  when 
two  millions  of  population  are  gone,  the  inflow  of  taxes  must 
diminish." 

Rameses  listened  with  attention,  and  walked  away  in  silence. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST  231 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

WHEN  the  priests  and  the  heir  to  the  throne  returned  to 
the  courtyard  in  the  evening,  several  hundred  torches 
were  gleaming  so  brightly  that  it  was  as  clear  there  as  in  the 
daytime. 

At  a  sign  from  Mefres  there  came  out  again  a  procession  of 
musicians,  dancers,  and  minor  priests  carrying  a  statue  of  the 
cow-headed  Hator ;  and  when  they  had  driven  away  evil 
sprits,  Pentuer  began  to  explain  again. 

u  Ye  see,  worthy  fathers,"  said  he,  "that  since  the  time  of 
the  nineteenth  dynasty  a  hundred  thousand  measures  of  land 
and  two  million  people  have  vanished  out  of  Egypt.  This  ex 
plains  why  the  income  of  the  state  has  decreased  thirty-two 
thousand  talents ;  that  it  has  decreased  is  known  to  all  of  us. 

"But  this  is  only  the  beginning  of  misfortunes  to  the  state 
and  the  treasury.  Ninety-eight  thousand  talents  of  income 
apparently  remain  to  his  holiness.  But  do  ye  think  that  the 
pharaoh  receives  all  this  income? 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  his  worthiness  Herhor  discovered  in 
the  province  of  the  Hare. 

"  During  the  nineteenth  dynasty  twenty  thousand  people 
dwelt  in  that  province;  they  paid  three  hundred  and  fifty  talents 
of  yearly  taxes.  To  day  there  are  hardly  fifteen  thousand,  and 
these,  of  course,  pay  the  treasury  only  two  hundred  and  seventy 
talents.  Meanwhile  the  pharaoh,  instead  of  receiving  two 
hundred  and  seventy  talents,  receives  one  hundred  and  seventy. 

"'Why  is  that?'  inquired  Herhor;  and  this  is  what  an 
investigation  discovered  :  During  the  nineteenth  dynasty  there 
were  in  the  district  about  one  hundred  officials,  and  these 
received  each  one  thousand  drachmas  yearly  salary.  To-day 
in  that  same  district,  though  the  people  have  decreased,  there 
are  more  than  two  hundred  officials  who  receive  two  thousand 
five  hundred  drachmas  yearly. 

"  It  is  unknown  to  his  worthiness  Herhor  if  this  is  the  case 
in  every  district.  But  this  much  is  certain,  that  the  treasury  of 


232  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  pharaoh,  instead  of  ninety-eight  thousand  talents  annually, 
has  only  seventy-four  thousand  —  " 

"  Say,  worthy  father,  fifty  thousand,"  interrupted  Rameses. 

"  I  will  explain  that  too,"  replied  Pentuer.  "  In  every  case 
remember,  prince,  that  the  pharaoh's  treasury  pays  to-day 
twenty-four  thousand  talents  to  officials,  while  it  gave  only  ten 
thousand  during  the  nineteenth  dynasty." 

Deep  silence  reigned  among  the  dignitaries,  for  more  than 
one  of  them  had  a  relative  in  office,  well  paid  moreover.  But 
Pentuer  was  unterrified. 

"Now,"  continued  he,  "  I  will  show  thee,  O  heir,  the  manner 
of  life  among  officials,  and  the  lot  of  common  people  in  those 
old  times  and  in  our  day." 

"Will  it  not  take  too  much  time?  Besides,  every  man  can 
see  for  himself,"  murmured  the  priests,  very  promptly. 

"  I  wish  to  know  this,"  said  the  prince,  with  decision. 

The  murmur  ceased.  Pentuer  went  down  along  the  steps  of 
the  amphitheatre  to  the  court,  and  after  him  went  the  prince, 
the  high  priests,  Mefres  and  the  others. 

They  halted  before  a  long  curtain  of  mats,  forming  as  it  were 
a  palisade.  At  a  sign  from  Pentuer  some  tens  of  minor  priests 
hastened  up  with  blazing  torches.  Another  sign,  and  a  portion 
of  the  curtain  fell. 

From  the  lips  of  those  present  came  a  shout  of  admiration. 
They  had  before  them  a  brightly  illuminated  tableau  in  which 
about  one  hundred  persons  were  the  characters. 

The  tableau  was  divided  into  three  stories;  on  the  lower 
story  stood  earth-tillers,  on  a  higher  were  officials,  and  on 
the  highest  was  the  golden  throne  of  the  pharaoh  resting  on 
two  lions  whose  heads  were  the  arms  of  the  throne. 

'•  It  was  in  this  way,"  said  Pentuer,  "  during  the  nineteenth 
dynasty.  Look  at  the  earth-tillers.  At  their  ploughs  ye  see 
sometimes  oxen,  sometimes  asses;  their  picks,  spades,  and 
shovels  are  bronze,  and  hence  are  lasting.  See  what  stalwart 
men  they  are !  To-day  one  could  find  such  only  in  the  guard 
of  his  holiness.  Their  hands  and  feet  are  strong,  their  breasts 
full,  their  faces  smiling.  All  are  bathed  and  anointed  with 
olive  oil.  Their  wives  are  occupied  in  preparing  food  and 
clothing  or  in  washing  house  utensils ;  the  children  are  at 
school  or  are  playing. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  233 

"  The  laborer  of  that  time,  as  ye  see,  ate  wheaten  bread, 
beans,  flesh,  fish,  and  fruit;  he  drank  beer  or  wine,  and  see 
how  beautiful  were  the  plates  and  pitchers.  Look  at  the  caps, 
aprons,  and  capes  of  the  men  :  all  adorned  with  various-colored 
needlework.  Still  more  beautifully  embroidered  were  the  skirts 
of  women.  And  note  how  carefully  they  combed  their  hair, 
what  brooches,  earrings,  and  bracelets  they  had.  Those  orna 
ments  were  made  of  bronze  and  colored  enamel;  even  gold  was 
found  among  them,  though  only  in  the  form  of  wire. 

"  Raise  now  your  eyes  to  officials.  They  wore  mantles,  but 
every  laborer  wore  just  such  a  dress  on  holidays.  They  lived 
exactly  as  did  laborers,  —  that  is,  in  sufficiency,  but  modestly. 
Their  furniture  was  ornamented  somewhat  more  than  that  of 
laborers,  and  gold  rings  were  found  oftener  in  their  caskets. 
They  made  journeys  on  asses,  or  in  cars  drawn  by  oxen." 

Pentuer  clapped  his  hands  and  on  the  stage  there  was  move 
ment.  The  laborers  gave  the  officials  baskets  of  grapes,  bags 
of  barley,  peas  and  wheat,  jugs  of  wine,  beer,  milk  and  honey, 
game  and  stuffs,  many  pieces  white  or  colored.  The  officials 
took  these  products,  kept  a  portion  for  themselves,  but  the 
choicest  and  most  costly  they  put  up  higher,  for  the  throne. 
The  platform  where  stood  the  symbol  of  the  pharaoh's  power 
was  covered  with  products  which  formed  as  it  were  a  small 
mountain. 

"  Ye  see,  worthy  men,"  said  Pentuer,   "that  in  those  times, 
when  earth-tillers  were  satisfied  and  wealthy,  the  treasury  of   ' 
his  holiness  could  hardly  find  place  for  the  gifts  of  his  subjects. 
But  see  what  is  happening  in  our  day." 

At  a  new  signal  a  second  part  of  the  curtain  fell,  and  another 
tableau  appeared,  similar  to  the  preceding  in  general  outline. 

"  Here  are  our  laborers  of  the  present,"  said  Pentuer,  and  in 
his  voice  indignation  was  evident.  "  Their  bodies  are  skin  and 
bones,  they  look  like  sick  persons,  they  are  filthy  and  have  for 
gotten  to  anoint  themselves  with  olive  oil,  but  their  backs  are 
wounded  from  beating. 

"Neither  oxen  nor  asses  are  near  them,  for  what  need  is 
there  of  those  beasts  if  ploughs  are  drawn  by  women  and 
children?  Picks  and  shovels  are  wooden,  they  spoil  easily  and 
that  increases  men's  labor.  They  have  no  clothes  whatever ; 


234  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

only  women  wear  coarse  shirts,  and  not  even  in  a  dream  do 
they  look  at  embroidery,  though  their  grandfathers  and  grand 
mothers  wore  it." 

"  Look  now  at  the  food  of  the  earth-tillers.  At  times  barley 
and  dried  fish,  lotus  seed  always,  rarely  a  wheat  cake,  never 
flesh,  beer,  or  wine. 

"  Ask  them  where  their  utensils  and  furniture  are.  They  have 
none,  unless  a  pitcher  for  water ;  nothing  could  find  room  in 
the  dens  which  they  inhabit. 

"  Pardon  me  now  for  that  to  which  I  turn  your  attention : 
Over  there  a  number  of  children  are  lying  on  the  ground  ;  that 
means  that  they  are  dead.  It  is  wonderful  how  many  children 
of  laborers  die  from  toil  and  hunger.  And  those  that  die  are 
the  happiest,  for  they  who  survive  go  under  the  club  of  the 
overseer,  or  are  sold  to  the  Phoenician  as  lambs  to  the  —  " 

Emotion  stopped  his  voice;  he  rested  awhile,  and  then  con 
tinued  amid  the  angry  silence  of  the  priesthood,  - 

"  And  now  look  at  the  officials,  — how  animated  they  are  in 
rouge,  how  beautiful  their  clothes  are  !  Their  wives  wear  gold 
bracelets  and  earrings,  and  such  fine  garments  that  princes 
might  envy  them.  Among  laborers  not  an  ox  or  an  ass  is  now 
visible,  but  to  make  up  officials  journey  on  horseback  or  in 
litters.  They  drink  only  wine,  and  that  of  good  quality." 

He  clapped  his  hands,  and  again  there  was  movement.  The 
laborers  gave  the  officials  bags  of  wheat,  baskets  of  fruit,  wine, 
game.  These  objects  the  officials  as  before  placed  near  the 
throne,  but  in  quantities  considerably  smaller.  On  the  pha- 
raoh's  platform  there  was  no  longer  a  mountain  of  products, 
but  the  platform  of  the  officials  was  covered. 

u  This  is  the  Egypt  of  our  day/'  continued  Pentuer. 
''Laborers  are  in  indigence,  scribes  are  wealthy,  the  treasury 
is  not  so  full  as  it  once  was.  But  now  —  " 

He  gave  a  sign,  and  a  thing  unexpected  took  place  there 
before  them. 

Certain  hands  seized  grain,  fruit,  stuffs  from  the  platforms 
of  the  pharaoh  and  the  officials ;  and  when  the  amount  of  the 
goods  had  decreased  greatly,  those  same  hands  began  to  seize 
and  lead  away  laborers,  their  wives  and  children. 

The   spectators    looked    with    amazement   at    the    peculiar 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  235 

methods  of  those  mysterious  persons.  Suddenly  some  one 
cried  out,  — 

"  Those  are  Phoenicians  !     They  plunder  us  in  that  way." 

"  That  is  it,  holy  fathers,"  said  Pentuer.  "  Those  are  the 
hands  of  Phoenicians  concealed  in  the  midst  of  us ;  they  plunder 
the  pharaoh  and  the  scribes,  and  lead  away  laborers  captive 
when  there  is  nothing  to  drag  from  them." 

11  Yes  !  They  are  jackals  !  A  curse  on  Phoenicians  !  Expel 
them,  the  wretches  !  "  cried  the  priests.  "  It  is  they  who  inflict 
the  greatest  damage  on  Egypt." 

Not  all,  however,  shouted  in  that  way. 

When  there  was  silence,  Pentuer  commanded  to  take  the 
torches  to  the  other  side  of  the  court,  and  thither  he  conducted 
his  hearers.  There  were  no  tableaux  there,  but  a  kind  of  in 
dustrial  exhibition. 

"Be  pleased  to  look,"  said  he.  "During  the  nineteenth 
dynasty  foreigners  sent  us  these  things  :  we  received  perfumes 
from  Punt;  gold,  iron  weapons,  and  chariots  of  war  came  from 
Syria.  That  is  all. 

"  But  Egypt  manufactured  in  those  days.  Look  at  these  im 
mense  pitchers,  —  how  many  forms,  and  what  a  variety  of 
colors. 

"  Or  the  furniture  :  that  armchair  was  made  of  ten  thousand 
pieces  of  gold,  mother-of-pearl,  and  woods  of  various  hues. 
Look  at  the  robes  of  that  period:  what  embroidery,  what 
delicacy  of  material,  how  many  colors !  And  the  bronze 
swords,  the  brooches,  bracelets,  earrings  and  implements  of 
tillage  and  crafts  of  various  descriptions.  All  these  were 
made  in  this  country  during  the  nineteenth  dynasty." 

He  passed  to  the  next  group  of  objects. 

"But  to-day,  look:  the  pitchers  are  small  and  almost  with 
out  ornament,  the  furniture  is  simple,  the  stuffs  coarse  and 
devoid  of  variety.  Not  one  thing  made  to-day  can  we  com 
pare  as  to  shape,  durability,  or  beauty  with  those  of  former 
ages.  Why  has  this  happened  ?  " 

He  advanced  a  number  of  steps  again,  surrounded  by  torches. 

"Here  is  a  great  number  of  things,"  said  he,  u which  the 
Phoenicians  bring  us  from  various  regions.  Some  tens  of  kinds 
of  incense,  colored  glass,  furniture,  vessels,  woven  stuffs, 


236  THE   PHARAOH   AND    TUP]   PRIEST 

chariots,  ornaments,  —  all  these  come  from  Asia  and  are  bought 
by  us. 

"Do  ye  understand  now,  worthy  fathers,  why  the  Phoeni 
cians  tear  away  grain,  fruit,  and  cattle  from  the  scribes  and  the 
pharaoh?  In  pay  for  those  foreign  goods  which  have  destroyed 
our  artisans  as  locusts  destroy  vegetation. 

u  Among  things  obtained  through  Phoenicians  for  his  holi 
ness,  the  nomarchs,  and  the  scribes,  gold  has  the  first  place. 

"This  kind  of  commerce  is  the  most  accurate  picture  of 
calamities  inflicted  on  Egypt  by  Asia. 

"  When  a  man  borrows  gold  to  the  amount  of  one  talent, 
he  is  obliged  in  three  years  to  return  two  talents.  But  most 
frequently  the  Phoenicians,  under  pretext  of  decreasing  trouble 
for  the  debtor,  assure  payment  in  their  own  way  :  that  is,  debtors 
for  each  talent  borrowed  give  them  as  tenants  for  three  years 
two  measures  of  land  and  thirty-two  people. 

"  See  there,  worthy  fathers,"  said  he,  pointing  to  a  part  of 
the  court  which  was  better  lighted.  "  That  square  of  land  one 
hundred  and  ten  yards  in  length  and  as  wide  signifies  two 
measures;  the  men,  women,  and  children  of  that  crowd  mean 
eight  families.  All  that  together:  people  and  land  pass  for 
three  years  into  dreadful  captivity.  During  that  time  their 
owner,  the  pharaoh  or  a  nomarch,  has  no  profit  at  all  from 
them ;  at  the  end  of  that  term  he  receives  the  land  back  ex 
hausted,  and  of  the  people,  twenty  in  number  at  the  very 
highest,  the  rest  have  died  under  torture !  " 

Those  present  shuddered  with  horror. 

"  I  have  said  that  the  Phoenician  takes  two  measures  of  land 
and  thirty-two  people  for  three  years  in  exchange  for  one 
talent.  See  what  a  space  of  land  and  what  a  crowd  of  people ; 
look  now  at  my  hand. 

"  This  piece  of  gold  which  I  grasp  here,  this  lump,  less  than 
a  hen's  egg  in  size,  is  a  talent. 

"  Can  you  estimate  the  complete  insignificance  of  the  Phoe 
nicians  in  this  commerce?  This  small  lump  of  gold  has  no  real 
value  :  it  is  yellow,  it  is  heavy,  a  man  cannot  eat  it,  —  and  that 
is  the  end  of  the  matter.  A  man  does  not  clothe  himself  with 
gold  and  he  cannot  stop  his  hunger  or  thirst  with  it.  If  he 
had  a  lump  of  gold  as  big  as  the  pyramid,  he  would  be  as  poor 


THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST  237 

at  the  foot  of  it  as  a  Libyan  wandering  through  the  western 
desert  where  there  is  neither  a  date  nor  a  drop  of  water. 

"  And  see,  for  a  piece  of  this  Barren  metal  a  Phoenician  takes  a 
piece  of  land  which  suffices  to  feed  and  clothe  thirty-two  people, 
and  besides  that  he  takes  the  people.  For  three  years  he  exer 
cises  power  over  beings  who  know  how  to  cultivate  land,  gather 
in  grain,  make  flour  and  beer,  weave  garments,  build  houses, 
and  make  furniture. 

u  At  the  same  time  the  pharaoh  or  the  nomarch  is  deprived 
for  three  years  of  the  services  of  those  people.  They  pay  him 
no  tribute,  they  carry  no  burdens  for  the  army,  but  they  toil 
to  give  income  to  the  greedy  Phoenician. 

u  Ye  know,  worthy  fathers,  that  at  present  there  is  not  a  year 
during  which  in  this  or  that  province  an  insurrection  does  not 
break  out  among  laborers  exhausted  by  hunger,  borne  down  by 
toil,  or  beaten  with  sticks.  And  some  of  those  men  perish, 
others  are  sent  to'the  quarries,  while  the  country  is  depopulated 
more  and  more  for  this  reason  only,  that  the  Phoenician  gave 
a  lump  of  gold  to  some  land-owner!  Is  it  possible  to  imagine 
greater  misery?  And  is  Egypt  not  to  lose  land  and  people 
yearly  under  such  conditions?  Victorious  wars  undermined 
Egypt,  but  Phoenician  gold-dealers  are  finishing  it." 

On  the  faces  of  the  priests  satisfaction  was  depicted ;  they 
were  more  willing  to  hear  of  the  guile  of  Phoenicians  than  the 
excesses  of  scribes  throughout  Egypt. 

Pentuer  rested  awhile,  then  he  turned  to  the  viceroj^. 

"For  some  months,"  said  he,  "  Rameses,  O  servant  of 
the  gods,  thou  hast  been  inquiring  why  the  income  of  his  holi 
ness  is  diminished.  The  wisdom  of  the  gods  has  shown  thee 
that  not  only  the  treasure  has  decreased  but  also  the  army,  and 
that  both  those  sources  of  royal  power  will  decrease  still  fur 
ther.  And  the  end  will  be  utter  ruin  for  this  country,  unless 
heaven  sends  down  a  ruler  who  will  stop  the  inundation  of  misery 
which  for  some  hundreds  of  years  is  overwhelming  Egypt. 

"  The  treasury  of  the  pharaohs  was  full  when  we  had  more 
land  and  people.  We  must  win  back  from  the  desert  the 
fertile  lands  which  it  has  swallowed,  and  remove  from  the  peo 
ple  those  burdens  which  weaken  and  kill  them." 

The  priests  were  alarmed  again,  lest  Pentuer  might  mention 
scribes  for  the  second  time. 


238  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

44  Thou  hast  seen,  prince,  with  thy  own  eyes  and  before  wit 
nesses,  that  in  the  epoch  when  people  were  well  nourished, 
stalwart,  and  satisfied,  the  treasury  of  the  pharaoh  was  full. 
But  when  people  began  to  look  wretched,  when  they  were 
forced  to  plough  with  their  wives  and  children,  when  lotus  seed 
took  the  place  of  wheat  and  flesh,  the  treasury  grew  needy.  If 
thou  wish  therefore  to  bring  the  state  to  that  power  which  it 
had  before  the  wars  of  the  nineteenth  dynasty,  if  thou  desire 
that  the  pharaoh,  his  scribes,  and  his  army  should  live  in  plenty, 
assure  long  peace  to  the  land  and  prosperity  to  the  people. 
Let  grown  persons  eat  flesh  again  and  dress  in  embroidered 
garments,  and  let  children,  instead  of  groaning  and  dying  under 
blows,  play,  or  go  to  school. 

"  Remember,  finally,  that  Egypt  bears  within  its  bosom  a 
deadly  serpent." 

Those  present  listened  with  fear  and  curiosity. 

44  That  serpent  which  is  sucking  at  the  blood  of  the  people, 
the  property  of  the  nomarchs,  and  the  power  of  the  pharaoh  is 
the  Phoenician !  " 

"  Away  with  the  Phoenicians!  "  cried  the  priests.  "  Blot  out 
all  debts  to  them.  Admit  not  their  ships  and  merchants." 

Silence  was  enforced  by  the  high  priest  Mefres,  who  with 
tears  in  his  eyes  turned  to  Pentuer. 

44  I  doubt  not,"  said  he,  "  that  the  holy  Hator  is  speaking 
through  thy  lips  to  us.  Not  only  because  no  man  could  be  so 
wise  and  all-knowing  as  thou  art,  but  besides  I  have  seen  two 
flames,  as  horns,  above  thy  forehead.  I  thank  thee  for  the 
great  words  with  which  thou  hast  dispelled  our  ignorance.  I 
bless  thee,  and  I  pray  the  gods  when  I  am  summoned  before 
them  to  make  thee  my  advocate." 

An  unbroken  shout  from  the  rest  of  the  assembly  supported 
the  blessing  of  the  highest  dignitary.  The  priests  were  the 
better  satisfied,  since  alarm  had  hung  over  them  lest  Pentuer 
might  refer  to  the  scribes  a  second  time.  But  the  sage  knew 
how  to  restrain  himself:  he  indicated  the  internal  wound  of  the 
state,  but  he  did  not  inflame  it,  and  therefore  his  triumph  was 
perfect. 

Prince  Rameses  did  not  thank  Pentuer,  he  only  dropped  his 
head  to  his  own  bosom.  No  one  doubted,  however,  that  the 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  239 

discourse  of  the  prophet  had  shaken  the  soul  of  the  heir,  and 
that  it  was  a  seed  from  which  prosperity  and  glory  might 
spring  up  for  Egypt. 

Next  morning  Pentuer,  without  taking  farewell  of  any,  left 
the  temple  at  sunrise  and  journeyed  away  in  the  direction  of 
Memphis. 

For  a  number  of  days  Prince  Rameses  held  converse  with  no 
man,  he  meditated  ;  he  sat  in  his  cell,  or  walked  up  and  down 
the  shady  corridors.  Work  in  his  soul  was  progressing. 

In  reality  Pentuer  had  declared  no  new  truth ;  all  had  been 
complaining  of  the  decrease  of  land  and  people  in  Egypt,  of 
the  misery  of  workmen,  the  abuses  of  scribes,  and  the  extortion 
of  Phoenicians.  But  the  discourse  of  the  prophet  had  given 
them  tangible  forms,  and  illustrated  facts  very  clearly. 

The  Phoanicians  terrified  the  prince  ;  he  had  not  estimated 
till  that  time  the  enormity  of  the  misfortunes  brought  on 
people  of  Egypt  by  those  merchants.  His  horror  was  all  the 
more  vivid,  since  he  had  rented  out  his  own  subjects  to  Dagon, 
and  was  himself  witness  of  the  way  in  which  the  banker  col 
lected  his  dues  from  them. 

But  his  entanglement  in  the  business  of  Phoenicians  pro 
duced  strange  results  in  Rameses.  He  did  not  wish  to  think  of 
Phoenicians,  and  whenever  anger  flamed  up  in  his  mind  against 
those  strangers  the  feeling  of  shame  was  destroyed  in  him. 
He  was  in  a  certain  sense  their  confederate.  Meanwhile  he 
understood  perfectly  how  serious  the  decrease  was  in  land 
and  in  people,  and  on  this  he  placed  the  main  emphasis  in  his 
lonely  meditation. 

"  If  we  had,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  those  two  millions  of  peo 
ple  lost  by  Egypt,  we  might  through  help  from  them  win  back 
those  fertile  lands  from  the  desert,  we  might  even  extend  those 
lands.  And  then  in  spite  of  Phoenicians  our  laborers  would  be 
in  a  better  condition,  and  there  would  be  also  increase  in  the 
income  of  Egypt.  But  where  can  we  find  men? " 

Chance  gave  the  answer. 

On  a  certain  evening  the  prince,  while  walking  through  the 
gardens  of  the  temple,  met  a  crowd  of  captives  whom  Nitager 
had  seized  on  the  eastern  boundary  and  sent  to  the  goddess 
Hator.  Those  people  were  perfectly  built,  they  did  more  work 


240  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

than  Egyptians,  and  they  did  it  because  they  were  properly 
nourished,  hence  even  satisfied  with  their  position. 

When  he  saw  them,  his  mind  was  cleared  as  if  by  a  lightning 
flash.  He  almost  lost  presence  of  mind  from  emotion.  The 
country  needs  men,  many  men,  —  hundreds  of  thousands,  even  a 
million,  two  millions.  And  here  are  men  !  The  only  need  was  to 
turn  to  Asia,  seize  all  whom  they  might  meet  on  the  road,  and 
send  them  to  Egypt.  War  must  continue  till  so  many  were 
taken  that  every  earth-tiller  from  the  cataract  to  the  sea  might 
have  his  own  bondman. 

Thus  rose  a  plan,  colossal  and  simple,  thanks  to  which  Egypt 
would  find  population,  the  earth-tillers  aid  in  their  labor,  and 
the  treasury  of  the  pharaoh  an  endless  source  of  income. 

The  prince  was  enchanted,  though  next  day  a  new  doubt 
sprang  up  in  him. 

Pentuer  had  announced  •  with  great  emphasis,  while  Herhor 
had  asserted  still  earlier,  that  victorious  wars  were  the  source 
of  misfortune  for  the  country.  From  this  it  resulted  that  to 
raise  Egypt  by  a  new  war  was  impossible. 

u  Pentuer  is  a  great  sage,  and  so  is  Herhor,"  thought 
Rameses.  "  If  they  consider  war  harmful,  if  the  high  priest 
Mefres  and  other  priests  judge  in  the  same  way,  then  perhaps 
war  is  in  fact  dangerous.  It  must  be  dangerous,  if  so  many 
holy  and  wise  men  insist  thus." 

Rameses  was  deeply  disappointed.  He  had  thought  out  a 
simple  method  of  elevating  Egypt,  but  the  priests  maintained 
that  that  was  the  true  way  to  ruin  it.  The  priests  are  most 
holy,  and  they  are  wise  men. 

But  something  happened  which  cooled  the  faith  of  the  prince 
somewhat  in  the  truthful  speech  of  the  priests,  or  rather  it  roused 
his  previous  distrust  of  them. 

Once  he  was  going  with  a  certain  leech  to  the  library.  The 
way  lay  through  a  dark  and  narrow  corridor  from  which  the 
heir  drew  back  with  repulsion. 

"  I  will  not  go  by  this  way,"  said  he. 

"  Why  not?"  inquired  the  leech,  with  astonishment. 

"  Dost  thou  not  remember,  holy  father,  that  at  the  end  of 
that  corridor  is  an  opening  in  which  a  certain  traitor  was 
tortured  to  death  without 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  241 

"Aha!"  answered  the  leech.  "  There  is  an  opening  there 
into  which  we  poured  boiling  pitch  at  command  of  Pentuer." 

"  And  ye  killed  a  man —  " 

The  leech  smiled.  He  was  a  kindly,  gladsome  person.  So, 
observing  the  indignation  of  the  prince,  he  said  after  some 
meditation,  — 

"It  is  not  permitted  to  betray  temple  secrets.  Of  course, 
before  each  of  the  greater  solemnities,  we  bring  this  to  the  mind 
of  younger  candidates." 

His  tone  was  so  peculiar  that  Rameses  required  explanation. 

"I  cannot  betray  secrets,"  replied  the  leech  ;  "  but  promise, 
worthiness,  to  hide  a  story  in  thy  breast,  and  I  will  tell  thee 
one." 

Rameses  promised.     The  leech  gave  this  narrative:  — 

"A  certain  Egyptian  priest,  while  visiting  temples  in  the 
unbelieving  land  of  Aram,  met  at  one  of  them  a  man  who 
seemed  to  him  in  good  flesh  and  satisfied,  though  he  wore 
wretched  garments.  k  Explain  to  me,'  said  the  priest  to  the 
gladsome  poor  man,  '  how  it  is  that,  though  thou  art  indigent, 
thy  body  looks  as  though  thou  wert  chief  of  this  temple.' 

"  That  man  looked  around  then  to  see  if  any  one  were  listen 
ing,  and  answered,  — 

"  '  I  am  fat,  because  my  voice  is  very  wof ul ;  hence  I  am  a  mar 
tyr  at  this  temple.  When  people  come  to  service  here,  I  crawl 
into  an  opening  and  groan  with  all  the  strength  that  is  in  my 
body;  for  this  they  give  me  food  abundantly  throughout  the 
year,  and  a  large  jug  of  beer  every  day  when  I  am  tortured.' 

"  Thus  do  they  manage  in  the  unbelieving  land  of  Aram," 
said  the  leech,  as  he  raised  a  finger  to  his  lips,  and  added, 
"Remember,  prince,  what  thou  hast  promised,  and  of  boiling 
pitch  in  this  place  think  whatever  suits  thee." 

This  story  roused  the  prince  anew ;  he  felt  relief  because  a 
man  had  not  been  killed  in  the  temple,  but  all  his  earlier 
distrust  of  priests  sprang  into  life  again. 

That  they  deluded  simple  people,  he  knew.  He  remembered 
the  priests'  procession  with  the  sacred  bull  Apis,  while  he  was 
in  their  school.  The  people  were  convinced  that  Apis  led  the 
priests,  while  every  student  saw  that  the  divine  beast  went  in 
whatever  direction  priests  drove  him. 

16 


242  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Who  could  tell,  therefore,  that  Pentuer's  discourse  was  not 
intended  for  him,  as  that  procession  of  Apis  for  the  people? 
For  that  matter,  it  was  easy  to  put  on  the  ground  beans  of  red 
or  other  colors,  and  also  it  was  not  difficult  to  arrange  tableaux. 
How  much  more  splendid  were  those  exhibitions  which  he  had 
seen,  even  the  struggles  of  Set  with  Osiris,  in  which  a  number 
of  hundreds  of  persons  assisted.  But  in  that  case,  too,  did  not 
the  priests  deceive  people?  That  was  given  as  a  battle  of 
the  gods  ;  meanwhile  it  was  carried  on  by  men  in  disguise.  In 
it  Osiris  perished,  but  the  priest  who  represented  Osiris  came 
out  as  sound  as  a  rhinoceros.  What  wonders  did  they  not 
exhibit  there  !  Water  rose  ;  there  were  peals  of  thunder;  the 
earth  trembled  and  vomited  fire.  And  that  was  all  deception. 
Why  should  the  exhibition  made  by  Pentuer  be  true?  Besides, 
the  prince  had  discovered  strong  indications  that  they  wished 
to  deceive  him.  The  man  groaning  underground  and  covered, 
as  it  were,  with  boiling  pitch  by  the  priests  was  deception.  But 
let  that  pass.  The  prince  had  convinced  himself  frequently 
that  Herhor  did  not  want  war;  Mefres  also  did  not  want  it. 
Pentuer  was  the  assistant  of  one  of  them,  and  the  favorite  of 
the  other. 

Such  a  struggle  was  taking  place  in  the  prince  that  it 
seemed  to  him  at  one  time  that  he  understood  everything,  at 
another  that  he  was  surrounded  by  darkness ;  now  he  was  full 
of  hope,  and  now  he  doubted  everything.  From  hour  to  hour, 
from  day  to  day,  his  soul  rose  and  fell  like  the  waters  of  the 
Nile  in  the  course  of  its  yearly  changes. 

Gradually,  however,  the  prince  recovered  his  balance,  and 
when  the  time  came  to  leave  the  temple,  he  had  formulated 
certain  views  of  the  problem. 

First  of  all,  he  understood  clearly  that  Egypt  needed  more 
land  and  more  people.  Second,  he  believed  that  the  simplest 
way  to  find  men  was  a  war  with  Asia.  But  Pentuer  had  proved 
to  him  that  war  could  only  heighten  the  disaster.  A  new  ques 
tion  rose  then,  —  did  Pentuer  speak  the  truth,  or  was  he  lying? 
If  he  spoke  the  truth,  he  plunged  the  prince  in  despair,  for 
Rameses  saw  no  means  to  raise  the  state  except  war.  Unless 
war  were  made,  Egypt  would  lose  population  yearly,  and  the 
treasury  of  the  pharaoh  would  increase  its  debts  till  the  whole 


THE   PHARAOH    AND    THE   PRIEST  243 

process  would  end  in  some  ghastly  overthrow,  perhaps  even  in 
the  reign  of  the  coming  pharaoh. 

"But  if  Pentuer  lied?  Why  should  he  lie ?  Evidently  be 
cause  Herhor,  Mefres,  and  the  whole  priestly  corporation  had 
persuaded  him  to  act  thus. 

"  But  why  did  priests  oppose  war?  What  interests  had  they 
in  opposing  ?  Every  war  brought  immense  profit  to  them  and 
the  pharaoh. 

"But  would  the  priests  deceive  him  in  an  affair  so  far 
reaching?  It  is  true  that  they  deceived  very  often,  but  in 
small  matters,  not  when  it  was  a  question  of  the  future  and  the 
existence  of  the  state.  It  was  not  possible  to  assert  that  they 
deceived  always.  Besides,  they  were  the  servants  of  the  gods, 
and  the  guardians  of  great  secrets."  Spirits  resided  in  their 
temples ;  of  this  Rameses  convinced  himself  on  the  first  night 
after  he  had  come  to  that  temple  of  Hator. 

"  But  if  the  gods  did  not  permit  the  uninitiated  to  approach 
their  altars,  if  they  watched  so  carefully  over  temples,  why  did 
they  not  watch  over  Egypt,  which  is  the  greatest  of  all 
temples?" 

When  some  days  later  Rameses,  after  a  solemn  religious 
service,  left  the  temple  of  Hator  amid  the  blessings  of  the 
priests,  two  questions  were  agitating  him,  — 

Could  war  with  Asia  really  harm  Egypt?  Could  the  priests 
in  this  question  be  deceiving  him,  the  heir  to  the  throne  ? 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

THE  prince  journeyed  on  horseback  in  company  with  a 
number  of  officers  to  Pi-Bast,  the  famous  capital  of  the 
province  of  Habu. 

The  month  Paoni  had  passed,  Epiphi  was  beginning 
(April  and  May).  The  sun  stood  high,  heralding  the  most 
violent  season  of  heat  for  Egypt.  A  mighty  wind  from  the 
desert  had  blown  in  repeatedly ;  men  and  beasts  fell  because  of 
heat,  and  on  fields  and  trees  a  gray  dust  had  begun  to  settle 
under  which  vegetation  was  dying. 

Roses  had  been  harvested  and  turned  into  oil;    wheat  had 


244  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

been  gathered  as  well  as  the  second  crop  of  clover.  Well- 
sweeps  and  buckets  moved  with  double  energy,  irrigating  the 
earth  with  dirty  water  to  fit  it  for  new  seed.  Men  had  begun 
to  gather  grapes  and  figs.  The  Nile  had  fallen,  water  in  canals 
was  low  and  of  evil  odor.  Above  the  whole  country  a  fine 
dust  was  borne  along  in  a  deluge  of  burning  sun-rays. 

In  spite  of  this  Prince  Rameses  rode  on  and  felt  gladsome. 
The  life  of  a  penitent  in  the  temple  had  grown  irksome;  he 
yearned  for  feasts,  uproar,  and  women. 

Meanwhile  the  country,  intersected  with  a  net  of  canals, 
though  flat  and  monotonous,  was  pleasing.  In  the  province  of 
Habu  lived  people  of  another  origin  :  not  the  old  Egyptians, 
but  descendants  of  the  valiant  Hyksos,  who  on  a  time  had 
conquered  Egypt  and  governed  that  land  for  a  number  of 
generations. 

The  old  Egyptians  despised  this  remnant  of  a  conquering 
race  expelled  from  power  afterward,  but  Rameses  looked  on 
them  with  satisfaction.  They  were  large  and  strong,  their 
bearing  was  proud,  and  there  was  manly  energy  in  their  faces. 
They  did  not  fall  prostrate  before  the  prince  and  his  officers, 
like  Egyptians,  but  looked  at  him  without  dislike,  but  also 
without  timidity.  Neither  were  their  shoulders  covered  with 
scars  from  beating ;  the  scribes  respected  them  because  they 
knew  that  if  a  Hyksos  were  beaten  he  would  return  the  blows, 
and  might  kill  the  man  who  gave  them.  Moreover  the  Hyksos 
enjoyed  the  pharaoh's  favor,  for  their  people  furnished  the 
choicest  warriors. 

As  the  retinue  of  the  heir  approached  Pi-Bast,  whose  temples 
and  palaces  were  visible  through  the  haze  of  dust,  as  through  a 
veil  of  muslin,  the  neighborhood  grew  more  active.  Along  the 
broad  highway  and  the  canals  men  were  taking  to  market 
cattle,  wheat,  fruit,  wine,  flowers,  bread,  and  a  multitude  of 
other  articles  of  daily  consumption.  The  torrent  of  people  and 
goods  moving  toward  the  city  was  as  noisy  and  dense  as  that 
outside  Memphis  in  the  holiday  season.  Around  Pi-Bast 
reigned  throughout  the  whole  year  the  uproar  of  a  market-day, 
which  ceased  only  in  the  night  time. 

The  cause  of  this  was  simple.  In  that  city  stood  the  renowned 
and  ancient  temple  of  Astarte.  This  temple  was  revered 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  245 

throughout  Western  Asia  and  attracted  throngs  of  pilgrims. 
It  could  be  said  without  exaggeration  that  outside  Pi-Bast 
thirty  thousand  strangers  camped  daily,  —  Arabs,  Phoenicians, 
Jews,  Philistines,  Hittites,  Assyrians,  and  others.  The  Egyp 
tian  government  bore  itself  kindly  toward  these  pilgrims,  who 
brought  it  a  considerable  income ;  the  priests  endured  them, 
and  the  people  of  neighboring  provinces  carried  on  an  active 
trade  with  them. 

For  the  space  of  an  hour's  journey  from  Pi-Bast  the  mud 
huts  and  tents  of  strangers  covered  the  open  country.  As  one 
neared  the  city,  those  huts  increased  in  number  and  transient 
inhabitants  swarmed  more  and  more  densely  around  them. 
Some  were  preparing  food  under  the  open  sky,  others  were 
purchasing  provisions  which  came  in  continually,  still  others 
were  going  in  procession  to  the  temple.  Here  and  there  were 
large  crowds  before  places  of  amusement,  where  beast-tamers, 
serpent-charmers,  athletes,  female  dancers,  and  jugglers  ex 
hibited  their  adroitness. 

Above  all  this  multitude  of  people  were  heat  and  uproar. 

Before  the  gate  of  the  city  Rameses  was  greeted  by  his 
court  and  by  the  nomarch  of  Habu  surrounded  by  his  officials. 
But  the  greeting,  despite  cordiality,  was  so  cold  that  the 
astonished  viceroy,  whispered  to  Tutmosis,  — 

"  What  does  this  mean,  that  he  looks  on  me  as  if  I  had 
come  to  measure  out  punishment?" 

"  Because  thou  hast  the  face  of  a  man  who  has  been  asso 
ciating  with  divinity." 

He  spoke  truth.  Whether  because  of  ascetic  life,  or  the 
society  of  priests,  or  of  long  meditation,  the  prince  had  changed 
greatly.  He  had  grown  thin,  his  complexion  had  darkened, 
and  in  his  face  and  bearing  much  dignity  was  evident.  In  the 
course  of  weeks  he  had  grown  some  years  older. 

On  one  of  the  main  streets  of  the  city  there  was  such  a  dense 
throng  of  people  that  the  police  had  to  open  a  way  for  the  heir 
and  his  retinue.  But  these  people  did  not  greet  the  prince ; 
they  had  merely  gathered  around  a  small  palace  as  if  waiting 
for  some  person. 

"What  is  this?"  asked  Rameses  of  the  nomarch,  for  this 
indifference  of  the  throng  touched  the  prince  disagreeably. 


246  THE   PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Here  dwells  Hiram,"  answered  the  nomarch,  "  a  prince  of 
Tyre,  a  man  of  great  charity.  Every  day  he  distributes  bounti 
ful  alms,  therefore  poor  people  rush  to  him." 

Rameses  turned  on  his  horse,  looked,  and  said,  — 

"  I  see  there  laborers  of  the  pharaoh.  So  they  too  go  for 
alms  to  the  rich  Phoenician  ?  " 

The  nomarch  was  silent.  Happily  they  approached  the 
official  palace,  and  the  prince  forgot  Hiram. 

Feasts  in  honor  of  the  viceroy  continued  a  number  of  days 
in  succession,  but  they  did  not  please  him.  Gladness  was 
lacking  and  disagreeable  incidents  happened. 

One  day  a  favorite  of  the  prince  was  dancing  before  him ;  she 
burst  into  tears.  Rameses  seized  her  in  his  arms,  and  asked 
what  her  trouble  was. 

At  first  she  hesitated,  but  emboldened  by  the  kindness  of  her 
lord,  she  answered,  shedding  tears  in  still  greater  abundance,  — 

"  We  are  thy  women,  O  ruler,  we  come  from  great  families, 
and  respect  is  due  to  us." 

"  Thou  speakest  truth,"  said  Rameses. 

"Meanwhile  thy  treasurer  stints  us  in  allowance,  and  would 
deprive  us  of  serving-maids,  without  whom  we  cannot  bathe  or 
dress  our  hair." 

Rameses  summoned  his  treasurer,  and  commanded  sternly 
that  his  women  should  have  all  that  belonged  to  their  birth  and 
position.  The  treasurer  fell  on  his  face  before  the  prince,  and 
promised  to  carry  out  all  commands  of  the  women.  A  couple 
of  days  later,  a  rebellion  broke  out  among  the  court  slaves, 
who  complained  that  their  wine  had  been  taken.  The  heir 
ordered  to  give  them  wine.  But  during  a  review  two  days 
later  a  deputation  from  the  regiments  came  to  the  viceroy 
with  a  most  humble  complaint,  that  their  rations  of  meat  and 
bread  were  diminished.  The  prince  commanded  that  those 
petitioners  be  satisfied. 

Still,  two  days  later  a  great  uproar  at  the  palace  roused  him 
in  the  morning.  Rameses  inquired  what  the  cause  was ;  the 
officer  on  duty  explained  that'  the  pharaoh's  laborers  had  as 
sembled  and  asked  for  arrears  due  them. 

They  summoned  the  treasurer,  whom  the  prince  attacked  in 
great  anger. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  247 

"  What  is  going  on  here?  "  cried  he.  "  Since  ray  return  there 
is  no  day  without  complaints  of  injustice.  If  anything  like 
this  is  repeated,  I  shall  order  an  inquiry  and  put  an  end  to  thy 
management." 

The  trembling  treasurer  fell  on  his  face  again,  and  groaned,  — 

"Slay  me,  lord!  But  what  am  I  to  do  when  thy  treasury-, 
thy  granaries,  and  thy  storehouses  are  empty?  " 

In  spite  of  his  anger  the  prince  thought  that  the  treasurer 
might  be  innocent.  He  commanded  him  to  withdraw,  and  then 
summoned  Tutmosis. 

"Listen  to  me,"  said  Eameses  to  the  favorite,  "things  are 
done  here  which  I  do  not  understand,  and  to  which  I  am  not 
accustomed.  My  women,  the  slaves,  the  army,  the  pharaoh's 
workmen  do  not  receive  what  is  due  them,  or  their  supplies  are 
curtailed.  When  I  asked  the  treasurer  what  this  means,  he 
answered  that  the  treasury  and  the  storehouses  are  empty." 

"He  told  truth." 

"How  is  that  ?"  burst  out  the  prince.  "For  my  journey 
his  holiness  assigned  two  hundred  talents  in  gold  and  goods. 
Can  it  be  that  all  this  is  expended?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Tutmosis. 

41  How  is  that?"  cried  the  viceroy.  "  Did  not  the  nomarchs 
entertain  us  all  the  way?" 

"  Yes,  but  we  paid  them  for  doing  so." 

"Then  they  are  rogues  and  robbers  if  they  receive  us  as 
guests  and  then  plunder  us." 

"  Be  not  angry,  and  I  will  explain." 

uSit  down." 

Tutmosis  took  a  seat. 

"  Dost  thou  know,"  asked  he,  "  that  for  a  month  past  I  have 
eaten  food  from  thy  kitchen,  drunk  wine  from  thy  pitchers, 
and  dressed  from  thy  wardrobe  ?  " 

"  Thou  hast  a  right  to  that  privilege." 

"  But  I  have  never  acted  thus  hitherto.  I  have  lived,  dressed, 
and  amused  myself  at  my  own  expense,  so  as  not  to  burden 
thy  treasury.  It  is  true  that  thou  hast  paid  my  debts  more 
than  once,  but  that  was  only  a  part  of  my  outlay." 

i;  Never  mind  the  debts  !  " 

"  In  a  similar  condition,"  continued  Tutmosis,  "  are  some 


248  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

tens  of  noble  youths  of  thy  court.  They  maintained  them 
selves  so  as  to  uphold  the  splendor  of  the  government ;  but 
now,  like  myself,  they  live  at  thy  expense,  for  they  have 
nothing  to  pay  with." 

"  Sometime  I  will  reward  them." 

"Now,"  continued  Tutmosis,  "we  take  from  thy  treasury, 
for  want  is  oppressing  us ;  the  nomarchs  do  the  same.  If 
they  had  means  they  would  give  feasts  and  receptions  at  their 
own  cost ;  but  as  they  have  not  the  means  they  receive  recom 
pense.  Wilt  thou  call  them  rogues  now?  " 

"  I  condemned  them  too  harshly.  Anger,  like  smoke,  cov 
ered  my  eyes,"  said  Rameses.  "  I  am  ashamed  of  my  words  ; 
none  the  less  I  wish  that  neither  courtiers,  soldiers,  nor  working 
men  should  suffer  injustice.  But  since  my  means  are  ex 
hausted  it  will  be  necessary  to  borrow.  Would  a  hundred 
talents  suffice?  What  thinkest  thou?" 

"  I  think  that  no  one  would  lend  us  a  hundred  talents," 
whispered  Tutmosis. 

The  viceroy  looked  at  him  haughtily. 

"  Is  that  a  fit  answer  to  the  son  of  a  pharaoh?"  asked  he. 

"  Dismiss  me  from  thy  presence,"  said  Tutmosis,  sadly, 
"  but  I  have  told  the  truth.  At  present  no  one  will  make  us 
a  loan,  for  there  is  no  one  to  do  so." 

"What  is  Dagon  for?"  wondered  the  prince.  "He  is  not 
near  my  court;  is  he  dead?" 

"  Dagon  is  in  Pi-Bast,  but  he  spends  whole  days  with  other 
Phoenician  merchants  in  the  temple  of  Astarte  in  prayer  and 
penance." 

"  Why  such  devotion?  Is  it  because  that  I  was  in  a  temple 
that  my  banker  thinks  he  too  should  take  counsel  of  the 
gods?" 

Tutmosis  turned  on  the  stool. 

"The  Phoenicians,"  said  he,  "are  alarmed;  they  are  even 
crushed  by  the  news  — 

"About  what?" 

"  Some  one  has  spread  the  report,  worthiness,  that  when 
thou  shalt  mount  the  throne  all  Phoenicians  will  be  expelled 
and  their  property  confiscated." 

"  Well,  they  have  time  enough  before  that,"  laughed  Rameses. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST  249 

Tutmosis  hesitated  further.  "  They  say,"  continued  he,  in 
a  lowered  voice,  "that  in  recent  days  the  health  of  his  holiness 
—  may  he  live  through  eternity !  — has  failed  notably." 

4 'That  is  untrue!"  interrupted  the  prince,  in  alarm.  "I 
should  know  of  it." 

"  But  the  priests  are  performing  religious  services  in  secret 
for  the  return  of  health  to  the  pharaoh.  I  know  this  to  a 
certainty." 

The  prince  was  astonished. 

4 '  How !  my  father  seriously  ill,  the  priests  are  praying  for 
him,  but  tell  me  nothing?" 

"  They  say  that  the  illness  of  his  holiness  may  last  a  year." 

"Oh,  thou  nearest  fables  and  art  disturbing  me.  Better 
tell  me  about  the  Phoenicians." 

"I  have  heard,"  said  Tutmosis,  "  only  what  every  one  has 
heard,  —  that  while  in  the  temple  thou  wert  convinced  of  the 
harm  done  by  Phoenicians,  and  didst  bind  thyself  to  expel  them." 

"In  the  temple?"  repeated  the  heir.  "But  who  knows 
what  that  is  of  which  I  convinced  myself  in  the  temple,  and 
what  I  decided  to  do  ?  " 

Tutmosis  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  was  silent. 

"Was  there  treason,  too,  in  the  temple?"  thought  the 
prince.  "  Summon  Dagon  in  every  case,"  said  he,  aloud.  "  I 
must  know  the  source  of  these  lies,  and  by  the  gods,  I  will 
end  them." 

"Thou  wilt  do  well,  for  all  Egypt  is  frightened.  Even 
to-day  there  is  no  one  to  lend  money,  and  if  those  reports 
continue  all  commerce  will  cease.  Our  aristocracy  have  fallen 
into  trouble  from  which  none  see  the  issue,  and  even  thy 
court  is  in  want.  A  month  hence  the  same  thing  may  happen 
in  the  palace  of  his  holiness  — 

"Silence!"  interrupted  the  prince,  "  and  call  Dagon  this 
moment." 

Tutmosis  ran  out,  but  the  banker  appeared  no  earlier  than 
evening.  Around  a  white  mantle  he  wore  a  black  belt. 

"Hast  thou  gone  mad?"  cried  the  heir,  at  sight  of  this. 
"  I  will  drive  off  thy  sadness  immediately.  I  need  a  hundred 
talents  at  once.  Go,  and  show  thyself  not  till  thou  bring 
them." 


250  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  banker  covered  his  face  and  wept. 

"  What  does  this  mean?  "  asked  the  prince,  quickly. 

"Lord,"  exclaimed  Dagon,  as  he  fell  on  his  knees,  "seize 
all  my  property,  sell  me  and  my  family.  Take  everything, 
even  our  lives  —  but  a  hundred  talents  —  where  could  I  find 
wealth  like  that?  Neither  in  Egypt  nor  Phoenicia,"  continued 
he,  sobbing. 

"  Set  has  seized  thee,  O  Dagon,"  laughed  the  heir.  "  Couldst 
thou  believe  that  I  thought  of  expelling  thy  Phoenicians  ?  " 

The  banker  fell  at  the  prince's  feet  a  second  time. 

"I  know  nothing  —  I  am  a  common  merchant,  and  thy 
slave  —  as  many  days  as  there  are  between  the  new  and  the 
full  moon  would  suffice  to  make  dust  of  me  and  spittle  of  my 
property." 

u  But  explain  what  this  means,"  said  the  prince,  again 
impatient. 

' '  I  cannot  explain  anything,  and  even  were  I  able  I  have 
a  great  seal  on  my  lips  —  I  do  nothing  now  but  pray  and 
lament." 

"  Do  the  Phoenicians  pray  also?"  thought  the  prince. 

"  Unable  to  render  any  service,"  continued  Dagon,  "  I  will 
give  good  counsel  at  least.  There  is  here  in  Pi-Bast  a  re 
nowned  Syrian,  Prince  Hiram,  an  old  man,  wise  and  tremen 
dously  wealthy.  Summon  him,  Erpatr,  ask  of  him  a  hundred 
talents ;  perhaps  he  will  be  able  to  gratify  thee." 

Since  Rameses  could  get  no  explanations  from  the  banker, 
he  dismissed  him,  and  promised  to  send  an  embassy  to  Hiram. 


CHAPTER   XXX 

NEXT  day  Tutmosis,  with  a  great  suite  of  officers  and  at 
tendants,  paid  a  visit  to  the  Phoenician  prince,  and  in 
vited  him  to  the  viceroy. 

In  the  afternoon  Hiram  appeared  before  the  palace  in  a 
simple  litter  borne  by  eight  poor  Egyptians  to  whom  he  gave 
alms.  He  was  surrounded  by  the  most  notable  Phoenician 
merchants,  and  that  same  throng  of  people  who  stood  before 
his  house  daily. 


THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  251 

Rameses  greeted  with  a  certain  astonishment  the  old  man 
out  of  whose  eye~&  wisdom  was  gazing  and  in  whose  whole 
bearing  there  was  dignity.  He  bowed  gravely  before  the  vice 
roy,  and  raising  his  hands  above  his  head,  pronounced  a  short 
blessing.  Those  present  were  deeply  affected. 

When  the  viceroy  indicated  an  armchair  and  commanded  his 
courtiers  to  withdraw,  Hiram  said,  — 

"  Yesterday  thy  servant  Dagon  informed  me  that  the  prince 
needs  a  hundred  talents.  I  sent  out  my  couriers  at  once  to 
Sabne-Chetam,  Sethroe,  Pi-Uto,  and  other  cities  where  there 
are  Phoenician  ships,  asking  them  to  land  all  their  goods.  I 
think  that  in  a  day  or  two  thou  wilt  receive  this  small  sum  — ' 

"  Small !"  interrupted  Rameses,  with  a  smile.  "Thou  art 
happy  if  thou  call  a  hundred  talents  a  small  sum." 

Hiram  nodded. 

"  Thy  grandfather,  worthiness,"  said  he,  after  a  while,  "the 
eternally  living  Rameses-sa-Ptah,  honored  me  with  his  friend 
ship  ;  I  know  also  his  holiness,  thy  father  —  may  he  live  through 
eternity !  —  and  I  will  even  try  to  lay  before  him  my  homage,  if 
I  be  permitted." 

"  Whence  could  a  doubt  arise?  "  interrupted  the  prince. 

"  There  are  persons,"  replied  the  guest,  "  who  admit  some 
to  the  face  of  the  pharaoh  and  refuse  others  —  but  never  mind 
them.  Thou  art  not  to  blame  for  this ;  hence  I  venture  to  lay 
before  thee  one  question,  as  an  old  friend  of  thy  father  and 
his  father." 

"  I  am  listening." 

"  What  means  it,"  asked  Hiram,  slowly,  "  that  the  heir  to  the 
throne  and  a  viceroy  must  borrow  a  hundred  talents  when  more 
than  a  hundred  thousand  are  due  Egypt?" 

"Whence?"  cried  Rameses. 

"  From  the  tribute  of  Asiatic  peoples.  Phoenicia  owes  five 
thousand ;  well,  Phoenicia  will  pay,  I  guarantee  that,  unless 
some  events  happen.  But.  besides,  Israel  owes  three  thousand, 
the  Philistines  and  the  Moabites  each  two  thousand,  the  Hit- 
tites  thirty  thousand.  Finally,  I  do  not  remember  details,  but 
I  know  that  the  total  reaches  a  hundred  and  three  or  a  hundred 
and  five  thousand  talents.'* 

Rameses  gnawed  his  lips,  but  on  his  vivacious  countenance 


252  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

helpless  anger  was  evident.  He  dropped  his  eyes*  and  was 
silent. 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Hiram,  on  a  sudden,  and  looking  sharply  at 
the  viceroy.  "Poor  Phoenicia  —  but  also  Egypt." 

"What  dost  thou  say?"  asked  the  prince,  frowning.  "I 
understand  not  thy  questions." 

"  Prince,  thou  knowest  what  it  is  of  which  I  speak,  since  thou 
dost  not  answer  my  question,"  replied  Hiram  ;  and  he  rose  as  if 
to  withdraw.  "Still,  I  withdraw  not  my  promise.  Thou  wilt 
receive  a  hundred  talents." 

He  made  a  low  bow,  but  the  viceroy  forced  him  to  sit  down 
again. 

"Thou  art  hiding  something,"  said  Rameses,  in  a  voice  in 
which  offence  was  evident.  "I  would  hear  thee  explain  what 
danger  threatens  Egypt  or  Phoenicia." 

"  Hast  thou  not  heard?"  asked  Hiram,  with  hesitation. 

"I  know  nothing.  I  have  passed  more  than  a  month  in  the 
temple." 

"That  is  just  the  place  in  which  to  learn  everything." 

"Tell  me,  worthiness,"  said  the  viceroy,  striking  the  table 
with  his  fist.  "  I  am  not  pleased  when  men  are  amused  at  my 
expense." 

''  Give  a  great  promise  not  to  betray  me  to  any  one  and  I 
will  tell,  though  I  cannot  believe  that  they  have  not  informed 
the  heir  of  this." 

"Dost  thou  not  trust  me?  "  asked  the  astonished  prince. 

"  In  this  affair  I  should  require  a  promise  from  the  pharaoh 
himself,"  answered  Hiram,  with  decision. 

"  If  I  swear  on  my  sword,  and  the  standards  of  my  troops, 
that  I  will  tell  no  man  —  " 

"  Enough,"  said  Hiram. 

"  I  am  listening." 

"  Does  the  prince  know  what  is  happening  at  this  moment  in 
Phoenicia  ?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  of  that,  even,"  interrupted  the  irritated 
viceroy. 

"  Our  ships,"  whispered  Hiram,  "  are  coming  home  from  all 
parts  of  the  earth  to  convey  at  the  first  signal  our  people  and 
treasures  to  some  place  —  beyond  the  sea  —  to  the  west." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  253 

"  Why?"  asked  the  astounded  viceroy. 

"  Because  Assyria  is  to  take  us  under  her  dominion." 

"Thou  hast  gone  niad,  worthy  man!  "  exclaimed  Rameses. 
"  Assyria  to  take  Phoenicia!  But  we?  —  Egypt  —  what  would 
we  say  to  that?  " 

"  Egypt  has  consented  already." 

Blood  rushed  to  the  prince's  head. 

"The  heat  has  disturbed  thy  mind,  aged  man,"  said  he,  in  a 
calm  voice.  "Thou  hast  forgotten,  even,  that  such  an  affair 
could  not  take  place  without  the  pharaoh's  permission  and  mine." 

"  That  will  follow.  Meanwhile  the  priests  have  concluded  a 
treaty." 

"  With  whom?     What  priests?  " 

"  With  Beroes,  the  high  priest  of  Chaldea,  at  commission  of 
King  Assar,"  said  Hiram.  "  And  who  from  your  side?  I  will 
not  state  to  a  certainty.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  his  worthiness 
Herhor,  his  worthiness  Mefres,  and  the  holy  prophet  Pentuer." 

The  prince  became  pale. 

"  Consider,  Phoenician,"  said  he,  "  that  thou  art  accusing  of 
treason  the  highest  dignitaries  of  Egypt." 

"Thou  art  mistaken,  prince,  this  is  no  treason:  the  high 
priest  of  Egypt  and  the  minister  of  his  holiness  have  the  right 
to  make  treaties  with  neighboring  states.  Besides,  how  dost 
thou  know,  worthiness,  that  all  this  is  not  done  with  consent  of 
the  pharaoh?" 

Rameses  was  obliged  to  confess  in  his  soul  that  such  a  treaty 
would  not  be  treason,  but  disregard  toward  him,  the  erpatr. 

So  then  the  priests  treated  him  in  this  way,  —  him  who  might 
be  the  pharaoh  a  year  hence  ?  That  is  why  Pentuer  criticised 
war,  and  Mefres  supported  him. 

"When  could  that  have  happened,  and  where?"  asked  the 
prince. 

"Very  likely  they  concluded  the  treaty  at  night  in  the  temple 
of  Set  at  Memphis,"  answered  Hiram.  "And  when?  —  I  know 
not  exactly,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  it  took  place  when  thou 
wert  setting  out  from  Memphis." 

"The  wretches!"  thought  the  viceroy.  "That  is  how  they 
respect  my  position !  Some  kind  god  made  me  doubt  in  the 
temple  of  Hator." 


254  THE    PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST 

After  a  time  of  internal  conflict  he  added,  — 

u  Impossible!     I  shall  not  believe  till  proof  be  given." 

"  Proof  there  will  be,"  replied  Hiram.  lt  One  of  these  days 
a  great  lord  will  come  to  Pi-Bast  from  Assyria,  Sargon,  the 
friend  of  King  Assar.  He  will  come  under  pretext  of  a  pilgrim 
age  to  the  temple  of  Astaroth,  he  will  bring  gifts  to  thee  and 
to  his  holiness;  then  he  will  make. a  treaty.  Ye  will  in  fact  put 
seals  to  that  which  the  priests  have  determined  to  the  ruin  of 
Phoenicia,  and  perhaps  to  your  own  great  misfortune." 

"  Never  !    What  return  could  Assyria  give  Egypt?  " 

u  That  speech  is  worthy  of  a  pharaoh.  What  return  would 
Egypt  get?  Every  treaty  is  good  for  a  state  if  only  something 
be  gained  through  it.  I  am  astonished  specially  by  this,"  con 
tinued  Hiram,  u  that  Egypt  should  conclude  a  bad  transaction  : 
besides  Phoenicia,  Assyria  will  take  almost  all  Asia,  and  to 
you  will  be  left,  in  the  form  of  a  favor,  the  Israelites,  the  Philis 
tines,  and  the  peninsula  of  Sinai.  In  that  case  the  tributes 
belonging  to  Egypt  will  be  lost,  and  the  pharaoh  will  never 
receive  those  hundred  and  five  thousand  talents." 

The  viceroy  shook  his  head. 

"  Thou  dost  not  know  Egyptian  priests,"  said  he  ;  "  not  one 
of  them  would  accept  such  a  treaty." 

u  Why  not?  The  Phoenician  proverb  says:  '  Better  barley 
in  the  granary  than  gold  in  the  desert.'  Should  Egypt  feel 
very  weak  she  might  prefer  Sinai  and  Palestine  to  a  war  with 
Assyria.  But  this  is  what  sets  me  to  thinking :  Not  Egypt, 
but  Assyria,  is  easy  to  conquer.  Assyria  has  a  quarrel  on  the 
northwest ;  Assyria  has  few  troops,  and  those  of  poor  quality. 
Were  Egypt  to  attack  she  would  destroy  Assyria,  seize 
immense  treasures  in  Babylon  and  Nineveh,  and  establish  her 
authority  in  Asia  at  once  and  securely  — 

"  Such  a  treaty  cannot  exist,  as  thou  seest,"  interrupted 
Rameses. 

"  In  one  case  alone  could  I  understand  such  a  treaty,"  con 
tinued  Hiram.  "If  'tis  the  plan  of  the  priests  to  set  aside 
kingly  power  in  Egypt;  and  toward  this,  O  prince,  they  have 
been  striving  since  the  days  of  thy  grandfather." 

"  Thou  art  speaking  aside  from  the  question,"  said  Rameses, 
but  he  felt  alarm  in  his  heart. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  255 

"  Perhaps  I  am  mistaken,"  answered  Hiram,  looking  into  his 
eyes  quickly.  "  But  hear  me  out,  worthiness." 

He  moved  up  his  armchair  to  the  prince,  and  said  in  a 
lowered  voice,  — 

"  If  the  pharaoh  should  make  war  on  Assyria,  he  would  have 
a  great  army  attached  to  his  person;  a  hundred  thousand 
talents  of  tribute  in  arrears,  about  two  hundred  thousand 
talents  from  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  finally  about  a  hundred 
thousand  talents  yearly  from  conquered  countries.  Such 
immense  wealth  wrould  enable  him  to  redeem  the  property 
mortgaged  to  the  priests,  and  put  an  end  at  once  and  forever 
to  their  meddling." 

The  prince's  eyes  glittered,  and  Hiram  continued,  — 

"  To-day  the  army  depends  on  Herhor,  and  therefore  on  the 
priests  ;  remove  the  foreign  regiments,  and  the  pharaoh,  in  case 
of  war,  could  not  depend  on  his  warriors. 

"  Besides,  the  royal  treasury  is  empty,  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  pharaoh's  property  belongs  to  the  temples.  He  must 
contract  new  debts  yearly  even  to  maintain  his  household  ;  and 
since  there  will  be  no  Phoenicians  among  you,  ye  must  borrow 
of  the  temples.  In  this  way,  when  ten  years  have  passed,  his 
holiness  —  may  he  live  through  eternity  !  —  will  lose  what  is 
left  of  his  property,  and  then  what?" 

On  the  forehead  of  Rameses  perspiration  came  out  in  drops. 

"  Thou  seest  then,  worthy  lord,"  continued  Hiram,  "  the 
priests  might  and  even  would  be  forced  in  one  case  to  accept 
the  most  disgraceful  treaty  with  Assyria :  if  they  are  working 
to  lower  and  destroy  the  power  of  the  pharaoh  —  well,  there 
may  be  another  case  :  if  Egypt  were  so  weak  as  to  need  peace 
at  any^price  — " 

The  prince  sprang  up. 

"  Silence  !  "  cried  he.  "I  should  prefer  treason  on  the  part 
of  my  most  faithful  servants,  to  such  weakness  in  the  country. 
Egypt  yield  to  Assyria  —  why,  a  year  later  Egypt  herself  would 
fall  under  the  yoke  of  Assyria,  for  by  subscribing  to  such 
infamy  she  would  confess  her  own  helplessness." 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  room,  with  indignation,  while 
Hiram  looked  at  him  with  compassion  or  with  sympathy. 

All  at  once  Rameses  halted  before  the  Phoenician,  — 


256       THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  This  is  false  !  Some  adroit  villain  has  deceived  thee,  O 
Hiram,  with  the  semblance  of  truth,  and  thou  hast  believed 
him.  If  such  a  treaty  existed,  they  would  have  kept  it  in  the 
closest  secrecy.  In  the  present  case  one  of  the  four  priests 
whom  thou  hast  mentioned  is  a  traitor,  not  only  to  his  own 
sovereign,  but  to  his  co-conspirators  —  " 

"There  might  have  been  some  fifth  man  who  overheard 
them,"  interrupted  Hiram. 

"And  who  sold  the  secret  to  thee?  " 

"  It  is  a  wonder  to  me,"  said  Hiram,  "that  the  prince  has 
not  discovered  the  power  of  gold." 

"But  stop,  worthiness,  our  priests  have  more  gold  than 
thou,  though  thou  art  wealthy  beyond  the  wealthy!" 

"  Still  I  am  not  angry  when  a  drachma  comes  to  me.  Why 
should  others  refuse  a  talent?" 

"They  would  because  they  are  servants  of  the  gods,"  said 
the  prince,  passionately;  "they  would  fear  divine  punishment." 

The  Phffinician  laughed. 

"I  have  seen,"  said  he,  "  many  temples  of  various  nations, 
and  in  those  temples  great  and  small  statues,  of  wood,  stone, 
and  gold  even.  But  gods  I  have  never  met." 

"  Blasphemer  !  "  exclaimed  Rameses.  "  I  have  seen  a  divin 
ity,  I  have  felt  its  hand  on  my  person,  I  have  heard  its  voice." 

"In  what  place?" 

' '  In  the  temple  of  Hator,  in  its  hall  of  entrance,  and  in  my 
cell." 

"In  the  daytime?" 

"  In  the  night,"  replied  the  prince ;   and  he  stopped. 

"At  night  the  prince  heard  speeches  of  the  gods,  and  felt 
their  hands,"  replied  the  Phoenician,  emphasizing  word  after 
word.  "  At  night  it  is  possible  to  see  many  things.  What 
happened  ?  " 

"  In  the  temple  I  was  seized  by  the  head,  by  the  shoulders, 
by  the  legs  ;  and  I  swear  — 

' '  Phst !  "  interrupted  Hiram,  with  a  smile.  "  It  is  not  proper 
to  swear  in  vain." 

He  looked  fixedly  at  Rameses  with  his  quick  and  wise  eyes, 
and  seeing  that  doubt  was  rising  in  the  young  man,  he  con 
tinued,  — 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  257 

"  I  will  tell  tbee  something,  lord.  Thou  art  inexperienced, 
though  surrounded  by  a  net  of  intrigues,  but  I  have  been  the 
friend  of  thy  grandfather  and  thy  father.  Now  I  will  render 
thee  a  service:  Come  in  the  night  to  the  temple  of  Astaroth, 
but  bind  thyself  to  keep  the  secret.  Come  alone,  and  thou  wilt 
be  convinced  as  to  who  the  gods  are  who  speak  in  the  temples 
and  touch  us." 

':  I  will  come,"  said  Rameses,  after  some  meditation. 

"  Forewarn  me,  prince,  on  the  morning  of  the  day,  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  evening  password ;  thou  wilt  be  admitted.  Only 
betray  neither  me  nor  thyself,"  said  the  Phoenician,  with  a 
kindly  smile.  "  Men  never  pardon  betrayal  of  their  secrets, 
though  gods  pardon  sometimes."  He  bowed,  raised  his  eyes 
and  hands,  while  he  whispered  a  blessing. 

"  Deceivers  !  "  cried  the  prince.  "  Thou  prayest  to  gods,  and 
dost  not  believe  in  them." 

Hiram  finished  the  blessing,  and  said,  — 

"  It  is  true  that  I  have  no  belief  in  Egyptian  or  Assyrian,  or 
even  in  Phoenician  gods,  but  I  believe  in  One  who  dwells  not  in 
temples  and  whose  name  is  unknown  to  us." 

"  Our  priests  believe  also  in  One,"  said  Rameses. 

"  So  do  the  Chaldeans,  but  they  and  your  priests  have  con 
spired  against  us.  There  is  no  truth  in  this  world,  prince." 

After  Hiram's  departure  the  heir  shut  himself  up  in  the  most 
remote  chamber  under  pretext  of  reading  sacred  papyruses. 

Almost  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye  the  information  received  re 
cently  arranged  itself  in  the  fiery  imagination  of  Rameses,  and 
he  formed  a  plan.  First  of  all,  he  understood  that  a  secret 
battle  for  life  and  death  was  raging  between  the  priests  and 
the  Phoenicians.  About  what?  Naturally  about  wealth  and 
influence.  Hiram  said  truly,  that  should  the  Phoenicians  be 
expelled  from  Egypt,  all  the  estates  of  the  pharaoh,  and  even 
of  the  nomarchs  and  the  entire  aristocracy,  would  pass  into/ 
possession  of  the  temples. 

Rameses  had  never  liked  the  priests,  and  he  had  known  and/ 
seen  for  a  long  time  that  the  greater  part  of  Egypt  belonged  to/ 
them,  that  their  cities  were  the   richest,  their  fields  the  best 
tilled,  their  people  satisfied.     He  understood  too  that  one-half 
the  treasures  which  belonged  to  the  temples  would  suffice  to 

17 


258  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

rescue  the  pharaoh  from  ceaseless  troubles  and  give  back  powei 
to  him. 

The  prince  knew  this,  and  more  than  once  he  had  said  so  with 
bitterness.  But  when  through  the  influence  of  Herhor  he  be 
came  viceroy  and  received  the  corps  in  Memphis,  he  grew 
reconciled  with  the  priests  and  stifled  his  previous  dislike  of 
them. 

All  that  dislike  had  revived  again. 

Not  only  had  the  priests  not  told  him  of  their  negotiations 
with  Assyria,  they  had  not  even  forewarned  him  of  the  em 
bassy  of  Sargon.  This  question  might  indeed  be  the  great 
secret  of  the  state  and  the  temples.  But  why  did  they  conceal 
the  amount  of  tributes  from  various  Asiatic  nations,  unpaid  thus 
far?'  One  hundred  thousand  talents  —  why,  that  was  a  sum 
which  might  restore  immediately  the  financial  status  of  the 
pharaoh  !  Why  had  they  concealed  from  him  that  which  even  a 
prince  of  T}Tre  knew,  a  man  who  was  of  the  council  in  that  city,' 

What  a  shame  for  him,  the  heir  to  the  throne,  and  the  vice 
roy,  that  his  eyes  were  first  opened  by  foreigners !  But  there 
was  something  worse  still :  Pentuer  and  Mefres  had  proved  to 
him  in  every  way  that  Egypt  must  avoid  war.  In  the  temple 
of  Hator  that  emphasis  had  seemed  to  him  suspicious,  since  a 
war  might  obtain  for  the  state  thousands  of  legions  of  slaves, 
and  raise  the  general  prosperity  of  the  country.  To-day  this 
seemed  the  more  necessary  since  Egypt  ought  to  receive  unpaid 
sums  and  gain  still  more  tribute. 

The  prince  rested  his  arms  on  the  table  and  calculated,  — 

"We,"  thought  he,  "should  receive  a  hundred  thousand 
talents.  Hiram  calculates  that  the  plunder  of  Nineveh  and 
Babylon  would  give  about  two  hundred  thousand ;  together,  three 
hundred  thousand.  With  such  a  sum  we  might  cover  the  cost 
of  the  mightiest  war,  and  there  would  remain  besides  several 
hundred  thousand  as  profit,  and  captives  and  a  hundred  thou 
sand  yearly  tribute  from  newly  conquered  regions.  After 
that,"  concluded  the  prince,  "  we  could  reckon  with  the 
priesthood ! " 

Rameses  was  excited.     Still  reflection  came  to  him,  — 

"  But  if  Egypt  was  unable  to  wage  a  victorious  war  against 
Assyria?"  His  blood  boiled  at  this  question.  "How  Egypt? 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  259 

Why  should  Egypt  not  trample  Assyria,  when  he  appeared  at 
the  head  of  its  armies,  he  a  descendant  of  Rameses  the  Great, 
who  had  hurled  himself  single-handed  on  the  Hittite  war- 
chariots  and  scattered  them." 

The  prince  could  understand  everything  save  this,  that  man 
might  conquer  him  and  that  he  could  not  snatch  victory  from 
the  greatest  enemy.  He  felt  in  himself  endless  daring,  and  he 
would  have  been  astounded  if  any  enemy  whatever  had  not 
fled  at  sight  of  his  steeds  in  full  onrush.  Did  not  the  gods 
themselves  stand  on  the  war-chariot  of  the  pharaoh  to  defend 
his  shield  and  smite  with  heavenly  bolts  his  enemies? 

"  But  what  did  this  Hiram  say  to  me  about  gods?  "  thought 
the  prince.  "  And  what  will  he  show  me  in  the  temple  of 
Astaroth?  We  shall  see." 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

THE  old  man  kept  his  promise.  Every  day  to  the  prince's 
palace  in  Pi-Bast  came  crowds  of  slaves  and  long  rows  of 
asses  bearing  wheat,  barley,  dried  meat,  woven  stuffs,  and  wine. 
Phoenician  merchants  brought  gold  and  precious  stones  under 
inspection  of  Hiram's  assistants. 

In  this  manner  the  heir  received  in  the  course  of  five  days 
the  hundred  talents  promised.  Hiram  accounted  a  lower  per 
cent  to  himself,  —  one  talent  for  four,  in  a  year.  He  asked  no 
pledge,  but  was  satisfied  with  the  receipt  of  the  prince,  certified 
before  a  tribunal. 

The  needs  of  the  court  were  satisfied  bountifully.  Three 
favorites  of  the  viceroy  received  new  robes,  a  number  of 
special  perfumes,  and  female  slaves  of  various  colors.  The 
servants  had  abundance  of  food  and  wine,  the  pharaoh's  labor 
ers  received  arrears  of  pay,  unusual  rations  were  issued  to  the 
army. 

The  court  was  delighted,  the  more  since  Tutmosis  and  other 
noble  youths,  at  the  command  of  Hiram,  received  rather  large 
loans,  while  the  nomarch  of  Habu  and  his  higher  officials  re 
ceived  costly  presents. 

So  feast  followed  feast  and  amusement  amusement,  though 


260  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  heat  increased  always.  Seeing  this  general  delight,  the 
viceroy  was  satisfied.  He  was  troubled,  however,  by  the 
bearing  of  Mefres  and  other  priests.  Rameses  thought  that 
those  dignitaries  would  reproach  him  for  having  become  so 
indebted  to  Hiram  in  spite  of  those  lessons  which  he  had  re 
ceived  in  the  temple.  Meanwhile  the  holy  fathers  were  silent 
and  did  not  even  show  themselves. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  asked  the  prince  one  day  of 
Tutmosis  ;  "  the  priests  do  not  reproach  us?  We  have  never 
indulged  in  such  excesses  before.  Music  is  sounding  from 
morning  till  evening ;  we  drink,  beginning  with  sunrise,  and  we 
fall  asleep  with  women  in  our  arms  or  pitchers  at  our  heads. " 

"Why  should  they  reproach  us?"  answered  the  indignant 
Tutmosis.  "Are  we  not  sojourning  in  the  city  of  Astarte,1 
for  whom  amusement  is  the  most  pleasing  service,  and  love  the 
most  coveted  sacrifice?  Moreover  the  priests  understand  that 
after  such  privations  and  fasts  rest  is  due  thee." 

"Have  they  said  anything?"  asked  the  prince,  with  dis 
quiet. 

"Yes,  more  than  once.  Only  yesterday  the  holy  Mefres 
smiled,  and  said  that  amusement  attracted  a  }Toung  man  like 
thee  more  than  religion  or  the  labor  of  ruling  a  state." 

Rameses  fell  to  thinking,  — 

"  So  the  priests  looked  on  him  as  a  frivolous  stripling,  though 
he,  thanks  to  Sarah,  would  become  a  father  to-day  or  to-morrow. 
But  they  would  have  a  surprise  when  he  spoke  to  them  in  his 
own  manner." 

In  truth  the  prince  reproached  himself  somewhat.  From  the 
time  that  he  left  the  temple  of  Hator  he  had  not  occupied  him 
self  one  day  with  the  affairs  of  Habu.  The  priests  might 
suppose  that  he  was  either  entirely  satisfied  with  Pentuer's 
explanations,  or  that  he  was  tired  of  interfering  in  government. 

"So  much  the  better!"  whispered  he.  "So  much  the 
better !  " 

Under  the  influence  of  the  endless  intrigues  of  those  around 
him,  or  suspicious  of  those  intrigues,  the  instinct  to  deceive 
began  in  his  young  spirit  to  rouse  itself.  Rameses  felt  that  the 
priests  did  not  divine  the  subject  of  his  conversation  with 

1  Astaroth. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST  261 

Hiram,  nor  the  plans  which  were  forming  in  his  head.  It 
Builiced  those  blinded  persons,  that  he  was  amusing  himself; 
from  this  they  inferred  that  the  management  of  the  state  would 
remain  in  their  hands  forever. 

"  Have  the  gods  so  darkened  their  minds,"  thought  Rameses, 
"that  they  do  not  even  ask  themselves  why  Hiram  gave  me  a 
loan  so  considerable?  And  perhaps  that  crafty  Tyrian  has 
been  able  to  lull  their  suspicious  hearts?  So  much  the  better! 
So  much  the  better!  " 

He  had  a  marvellously  agreeable  feeling  when  he  thought 
that  the  priests  had  blundered.  He  determined  to  keep  them 
in  that  blunder  for  the  future  ;  hence  he  amused  himself  madly. 

Indeed  the  priests  were  mistaken,  both  in  Rameses  and 
Hiram.  The  artful  Tyrian  gave  himself  out  before  them  as 
very  proud  of  his  relations  witli  Rameses,  and  the  prince  with 
no  less  success  played  the  role  of  a  riotous  stripling. 

Mefres  wras  even  convinced  that  the  prince  was  thinking 
seriously  of  expelling  the  Phoenicians,  that  meanwhile  he  and 
his  courtiers  were  contracting  debts  and  would  never  pay 
them. 

But  the  temple  of  Astaroth  with  its  numerous  courts  and 
gardens  was  tilled  with  devotees  all  the  time.  Every  day,  if 
not  every  hour,  though  the  heat  was  excessive,  some  company 
of  pilgrims  to  the  great  goddess  arrived  from  the  depth  of 
Asia. 

Those  were  strange  pilgrims.  Wearied,  streaming  with 
perspiration,  covered  with  dust,  they  advanced  with  music, 
and  dancing,  and  songs  sometimes  of  a  very  lewd  character. 
The  day  passed  for  them  in  unbridled  license  in  honor  of  the 
goddess.  It  was  possible  not  only  to  recognize  every  such 
company  from  afar,  but  to  catch  its  odor,  since  those  people 
always  brought  immense  bouquets  of  fresh  flowers  in  their  hands, 
and  in  bundles  all  the  male  cats  that  had  died  in  the  course  of 
the  current  year.  The  devotees  gave  these  cats  to  dissectors 
in  Pi-Bast  to  be  stuffed  or  embalmed,  and  bore  them  home  later 
on  as  valued  relics. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  month  Mesori  (May-June),  Prince 
Hiram  informed  Rameses  that  he  might  appear  at  the  temple 
of  Astaroth  that  evening.  When  it  had  grown  dark  on  the 


262  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

streets  after  sunset,  the  viceroy  girded  a  short  sword  to  his 
side,  put  on  a  mantle  with  a  hood,  and  unobserved  by  any 
servant,  slipped  away  to  the  house  of  Hiram. 

The  old  magnate  was  waiting  for  the  viceroy. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  with  a  smile,  "art  thou  not  afraid,  prince, 
to  enter  a  Phoenician  temple  where  cruelty  sits  on  the  altar  and 
perversity  ministers?" 

"Fear?"  repeated  Rameses,  looking  at  him  almost  con 
temptuously.  "  Astaroth  is  not  Baal,  nor  am  I  a  child  which 
they  might  throw  into  your  god's  red-hot  belly." 

"But  does  the  prince  believe  this  story?  " 

Rameses  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  An  eyewitness  and  a  trustworthy  person,"  answered  he, 
1  'told  me  how  ye  sacrifice  children.  Once  a  storm  wrecked  a 
number  of  tens  of  your  vessels.  Immediately  the  Tyrian 
priests  announced  a  religious  ceremony  at  which  throngs  of 
people  collected."  The  prince  spoke  with  evident  indignation. 
"Before  the  temple  of  Baal  situated  on  a  lofty  place  was  an 
immense  bronze  statue  with  the  head  of  a  bull.  Its  belly  was 
red  hot.  At  command  of  your  priests  the  foolish  Phoenician 
mothers  put  their  most  beautiful  children  at  the  feet  of  this 
cruel  divinity  —  " 

"Only  boys,"  interrupted  Hiram. 

"Only  boys,"  continued  Rameses.  "The  priests  sprinkled 
each  boy  with  perfumes,  decked  him  with  flowers,  and  then  the 
statue  seized  him  with  bronze  hands,  opened  its  jaws,  and  de 
voured  the  child,  whose  screams  meanwhile  were  heaven- 
piercing.  Flames  burst  each  time  from  the  mouth  of  the 
deity." 

Hiram  laughed  in  silence. 

"And  dost  thou  believe  this,  worthiness?  " 

"I  repeat  what  a  man  told  me  who  has  never  lied." 

"He  told  what  he  saw.  But  did  it  not  surprise  him  that  no 
mother  whose  children  they  burned  was  weeping?" 

"He  was  astonished,  indeed,  at  such  indifference  in  women, 
since  they  are  always  ready  to  shed  tears  even  over  a  dead  hen. 
But  it  shows  great  cruelty  in  your  people." 

The  old  Phoenician  nodded. 

"Was  that  long  ago?"  asked  he. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  263 

"A  few  years." 

"Well,"  said  Hiram,  deliberately,  "shouldst  thou  wish  to 
visit  Tyre  some  day,  I  shall  have  the  honor  to  show  thee  a 
solemnity  like  that  one.'* 

"I  have  no  wish  to  see  it." 

"After  the  ceremony  we  shall  go  to  another  court  of  the 
temple,  where  the  prince  will  see  a  very  fine  school,  and  in  it, 
healthy  and  gladsome,  those  very  same  boys  who  were  burnt  a 
few  years  ago." 

"How  is  that?"  exclaimed  Rameses;  "then  did  they  not 
perish?" 

"They  are  living,  and  growing  up  to  be  sturdy  mariners. 
When  thou  shalt  be  pharaoh,  —  mayst  thou  live  through  eter 
nity! —  perhaps  more  than  one  of  them  will  be  sailing  thy 
ships." 

"Then  ye  deceive  your  people?"  laughed  the  prince. 

"We  deceive  no  one,"  answered  the  Tyrian,  with  dignity. 
"Each  man  deceives  himself  when  he  does  not  seek  the  explana 
tion  of  a  solemnity  which  he  does  not  understand." 

"I  am  curious,"  said  Rameses. 

"In  fact,"  continued  Hiram,  "we  have  a  custom  that  in 
digent  mothers  wishing  to  assure  their  sons  a  good  career  give 
them  to  the  service  of  the  state.  In  reality,  those  children 
are  taken  across  the  statue  of  Baal,  in  which  there  is  a  heated 
stove.  This  ceremony  does  not  mean  that  the  children  are 
really  burnt,  but  that  they  have  been  given  to  the  temple,  and 
BO  are  as  much  lost  to  their  mothers  as  if  they  had  fallen  into 
fire. 

"In  truth,  however,  they  do  not  go  to  the  stove,  but  to 
nurses  and  women  who  rear  them  for  some  years.  When  they 
have  grown  up  sufficiently,  the  school  of  priests  of  Baal  re 
ceives  and  educates  them.  The  most  competent  become 
priests  or  officials;  the  less  gifted  go  to  the  navy  and  obtain 
great  wealth  frequently.  Now  I  think  the  prince  will  not 
wonder  that  Tyrian  mothers  do  not  mourn  for  their  children. 
I  will  say  more :  thou  wilt  understand,  lord,  why  there  is  no 
punishment  for  parents  who  kill  their  children,  as  there  is  in 
Egypt." 

"Wretches  are  found  in  all  lands,"  replied  the  prince. 


264  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"But  there  is  no  child  murder  in  our  country,"  continued 
Hiram,  "for  with  us  children,  when  their  mothers  are  unable 
to  support  them,  are  taken  to  the  temple  by  the  state." 

The  prince  fell  to  thinking;  suddenly  he  embraced  Hiram, 
and  said  with  emotion, — 

"Ye  are  much  better  than  those  who  tell  tales  of  you.  I  am 
greatly  rejoiced  at  this." 

"Among  us,  too,  there  is  no  little  evil,"  answered  Hiram; 
"but  we  are  all  ready  to  be  thy  faithful  servants  shouldst  thou 
call  us." 

"Is  this  true?"  asked  the  prince,  looking  him  in  the  eyes. 

The  old  man  put  his  hand  on  his  heart. 

"I  swear  to  thee,  O  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt  and  future 
pharaoh,  that  if  thou  begin  at  any  time  a  struggle  with  our 
common  enemy,  Phoenicia  will  hasten  as  one  man  to  assist 
thee.  — But  receive  this  as  a  reminder  of  our  conversation." 

He  drew  from  beneath  his  robe  a  gold  medal  covered  with 
mysterious  characters,  and,  muttering  a  prayer,  hung  it  on  the 
neck  of  Prince  Rameses. 

"With  this  amulet,"  continued  Hiram,  "thou  mayst  travel 
the  whole  world  through,  and  if  thou  meet  a  Phoenician  he  will 
serve  thee  with  advice,  with  gold,  with  his  sword  even.  But 
now  let  us  go." 

Some  hours  had  passed  since  sunset,  but  the  night  was  clear, 
for  the  moon  had  risen.  The  terrible  heat  of  the  day  had 
yielded  to  coolness.  In  the  pure  air  was  floating  no  longer 
that  gray  dust  which  bit  the  eyes  and  poisoned  respiration. 
In  the  blue  sky  here  and  there  twinkled  stars  which  were  lost 
in  the  deluge  of  moonbeams. 

Movement  had  stopped  on  the  streets,  but  the  roofs  of  all 
the  houses  were  filled  with  people  occupied  in  amusement. 
Pi-Bast  seemed  from  edge  to  edge  to  be  one  hall  filled  with 
music,  singing,  laughter,  and  the  sound  of  goblets. 

The  prince  and  the  Phoenician  went  speedily  to  the  suburbs, 
choosing  the  less  lighted  sides  of  the  streets.  Still,  people 
feasting  on  terraces  saw  them  at  intervals,  and  invited  them 
up,  or  cast  flowers  down  on  their  heads. 

"Hei,  ye  strollers! "  cried  they,  from  the  roofs.  "If  ye  are 
not  thieves  called  out  by  the  night  to  snatch  booty,  come 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  265 

hither,  come  up  to  us.     We  have  good  wine  and  gladsome 
women." 

The  two  wanderers  made  no  answer  to  those  hospitable  in 
vitatious;    they  hurried  on  in  their  own  way.     At  last  the^ 
came  to  a  quarter  where  the  houses  were  fewer,  the  gardens 
more  frequent,    the  trees,   thanks  to  damp  sea-breezes,   more 
luxuriant  and  higher  than  in  the  southern  provinces  of  Egypt. 

%'It  is  not  far  now,"  said  Hiram. 

The  prince  raised  his  eyes,  and  over  the  dense  green  of  trees 
he  saw  a  square  tower  of  blue  color;  on  it  a  more  slender 
tower,  which  was  white.  This  was  the  temple  of  Astaroth. 
Soon  they  entered  the  garden,  whence  they  could  take  in  at  a 
glance  the  whole  building. 

It  was  composed  of  a  number  of  stories.  The  top  of  the 
lowest  was  a  square  platform  with  sides  four  hundred  yards 
long ;  its  walls  were  a  few  metres  high,  and  all  of  black  color. 
At  the  eastern  side  was  a  projection  to  which  came  two  wide 
stairways.  Along  the  other  three  sides  of  this  first  story 
were  small  towers,  ten  on  each  side;  between  each  pair  of 
towers  were  five  windows. 

More  or  less  in  the  centre  of  this  lowest  platform  rose  a 
quadrangular  building  with  sides  two  hundred  yards  long. 
This  had  a  single  stairway,  towers  at  the  corners,  and  was 
purple.  On  the  top  of  this  building  was  another  of  golden 
color,  and  above  it,  one  upon  the  other,  two  towers  —  one 
blue,  the  other  white. 

The  whole  building  looked  as  if  some  power  had  placed  on  the 
earth  one  enormous  black  dice,  on  it  a  smaller  one  of  .purple, 
on  that  a  golden  one,  on  that  a  blue,  and,  highest  of  all,  a 
silver  dice.  To  each  of  these  elevations  stairs  led,  either 
double  flights  along  the  sides  or  single  front  stairs,  always 
on  the  eastern  walls. 

At  the  sides  of  the  stairs  and  doors  stood,  alternately,  great 
Egyptian  sphinxes,  or  winged  Assyrian  human-headed  bulls. 

The  viceroy  looked  with  delight  at  this  edifice,  which  in  the 
moonlight  and  against  the  background  of  rich  vegetation  had 
an  aspect  of  marvellous  beauty.  It  was  built  in  Chaldean 
style,  and  differed  essentially  from  the  temples  of  Egypt,  first, 
by  the  system  of  stories,  second,  by  the  perpendicular  walls. 


266  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Among  the  Egyptians  every  great  building  had  sloping  sides 
receding  inward  as  they  rose. 

The  garden  was  not  empty.  At  various  points  small  villas 
and  houses  were  visible,  lights  were  flashing,  songs  and  music 
were  heard.  From  time  to  time  among  trees  appeared  shadows 
of  loving  couples. 

All  at  once  an  old  priest  approached  them,  exchanged  a 
few  words  with  Hiram,  and  said  to  the  prince  with  a  low 
obeisance, — 

uBe  pleased,  lord,  to  come  with  me." 

"And  may  the  gods  watch  over  thee,  worthiness,"  added 
Hiram,  as  he  left  him. 

Rameses  followed  the  priest.  Somewhat  aside  from  the 
temple,  in  the  thickest  of  the  grove,  was  a  stone  bench,  and 
perhaps  a  hundred  rods  from  it  a  villa  of  no  great  size  at 
which  was  heard  singing. 

"Are  people  praying  there?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"No,"  answered  the  priest,  without  concealing  his  dislike; 
"at  that  house  assemble  the  worshippers  of  Kama,  our  priest 
ess  who  guards  the  fire  before  the  altar  of  Astaroth." 

"Whom  does  she  receive  to-day?" 

"No  one  at  any  time,"  answered  the  guide,  offended. 
"Were  the  priestess  of  the  fire  not  to  observe  her  vow  of 
chastity  she  would  have  to  die." 

"A  cruel  law,"  observed  Rameses. 

"Be  pleased,  lord,  to  wait  at  this  bench,"  said  the  Phoeni 
cian  priest,  coldly;  "but  on  hearing  three  blows  against  the 
bronze  plate,  go  to  the  temple,  ascend  to  the  first  platform, 
and  thence  to  the  purple  story." 

"Alone?" 

"Yes." 

The  prince  sat  down  on  the  bench,  in  the  shadow  of  an  olive- 
tree,  and  heard  the  laughter  of  women  in  the  villa. 

"Kama,"  thought  he,  "  is  a  pretty  name.  She  must  be 
young,  and  perhaps  beautiful,  and  those  dull  Phoenicians 
threaten  her  with  death.  Do  they  wish  in  this  way  to  assure 
themselves  even  a  few  virgins  in  the  whole  country?" 

He  laughed,  but  was  sad.  It  was  uncertain  why  he  pitied 
that  unknown  woman  for  whom  love  would  be  a  passage  to  the 
grave. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  267 

"I  can  imagine  to  myself  Tutmosis  if  he  were  appointed 
priestess  of  Astaroth,"  thought  Rameses.  "He  would  have 
to  die,  poor  fellow,  before  he  could  light  one  lamp  before  the 
face  of  the  goddess." 

At  that  moment  a  flute  was  heard  in  the  villa,  and  some 
one  played  a  plaintive  air,  which  was  accompanied  by  female 
singers,  "Aha-a!  aha-a!"  as  in  the  lullaby  of  infants. 

The  flute  stopped,  the  women  were  silent,  and  a  splendid 
male  voice  was  heard,  in  the  Greek  language :  — 

"When  thy  robe  gleams  on  the  terrace,  the  stars  pale  and 
the  nightingales  cease  to  sing,  but  in  my  heart  there  is  still 
ness  like  that  which  is  on  earth  when  the  clear  dawn  salutes 
it  —  " 

"Aha-a!  aha-a!"  continued  the  women.  The  flute  played 
again. 

"When  thou  goest  to  the  temple,  violets  surround  thee  in  a 
cloud  of  fragrance,  butterflies  circle  near  thy  lips,  palms  bend 
their  heads  to  thy  beauty." 

" Aha-a!  aha-a!  —  " 

"When  thou  art  not  before  me,  I  look  to  the  skies  to  recall 
the  sweet  calm  of  thy  features.  Vain  labor!  The  heavens 
have  no  calm  like  thine,  and  their  heat  is  cold  when  com 
pared  with  the  flame  which  is  turning  my  heart  into  ashes." 

"Aha-a!  aha-a!  —  " 

"One  day  I  stood  among  roses,  which  the  gleam  of  thy 
glances  clothe  in  white,  gold,  and  scarlet.  Each  leaf  of  them 
reminded  me  of  one  hour,  each  blossom  of  one  month  passed 
at  thy  feet.  The  drops  of  dew  are  my  tears,  which  are  drunk 
by  the  merciless  wind  of  the  desert. 

"Give  a  sign;  I  will  seize  thee,  I  will  bear  thee  away  to  my 
birthplace,  beloved.  The  sea  will  divide  us  from  pursuers, 
myrtle  groves  will  conceal  our  fondling,  and  gods,  more  com 
passionate  toward  lovers,  will  watch  over  our  happiness." 

44  Aha-a!  aha-a!  —  " 

The  prince  dropped  his  eyelids  and  imagined.  Through  his 
drooping  lashes  he  could  not  see  the  garden,  he  saw  only  the 
flood  of  moonlight  in  which  were  mingled  shadows  and  the 
song  of  the  unknown  man  to  the  unknown  woman.  At  in 
stants  that  song  seized  him  to  such  a  degree,  and  forced  itself 


268  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

into  his  spirit  so  deeply,  that  Rameses  wished  to  ask:  "Am  I 
not  the  singer  myself?  nay,  am  I  not  that  love  song?" 

At  this  moment  his  title,  his  power,  the  burdensome  prob 
lems  of  state,  all  seemed  to  him  mean,  insignificant  in  com 
parison  with  that  moonlight  and  those  calls  of  a  heart  which 
is  enamored.  If  the  choice  had  been  given  him  to  take  the 
whole  power  of  the  pharaoh,  or  that  spiritual  condition  in 
which  he  then  found  himself,  he  would  have  preferred  that 
dreaming,  in  which  the  whole  world,  he  himself,  even  time, 
disappeared,  leaving  nothing  behind  but  desire,  which  was 
now  rushing  forth  to  infinity  borne  on  the  wings  of  song  and 
of  music. 

Meanwhile  the  prince  recovered,  the  song  had  ended,  the 
lights  in  the  villa  had  vanished,  the  white  walls,  the  dark 
vacant  windows  were  sharply  outlined.  One  might  have 
thought  that  no  person  had  ever  been  in  that  house  there. 
The  garden  was  deserted  and  silent,  even  the  slight  breath 
of  air  stirred  the  leaves  no  longer. 

One!  two!  three!  —  From  the  temple  were  heard  three 
mighty  sounds  from  bronze. 

"Ah!  I  must  go,"  thought  the  prince,  not  knowing  well 
whither  he  was  to  go  or  for  what  purpose. 

He  turned,  however,  in  the  direction  of  the  temple,  the 
silver  tower  of  which  rose  above  the  trees  as  if  summoning 
him. 

He  went  as  in  a  trance,  filled  with  strange  wishes.  Among 
the  trees  it  was  narrow  for  him;  he  wished  to  ascend  to  the 
top  of  that  tower,  to  draw  breath,  to  take  in  with  his  glance 
some  wider  horizon.  Again  he  remembered  that  it  was  the 
month  Mesori,  that  a  year  had  passed  since  the  manoeuvres; 
he  felt  a  yearning  for  the  desert.  How  gladly  would  he  mount 
his  light  chariot  drawn  by  two  horses,  and  fly  away  to  some 
place  where  it  was  not  so  stifling,  and  trees  did  not  hide  the 
horizon! 

He  was  at  the  steps  of  the  temple,  so  he  mounted  to  the 
platform.  It  was  quiet  and  empty  there,  as  if  all  had  died; 
but  from  afar  the  water  of  a  fountain  was  murmuring.  At 
the  second  stairway  he  threw  aside  his  burnous  and  sword; 
once  more  he  looked  at  the  garden,  as  if  he  were  sorry  to 


THE    PHARAOH   AND    THE    PRIEST  269 

leave  the  moonlight  behind,  and  entered  the  temple.  There 
were  three  stories  above  him. 

The  bronze  doors  were  open;  at  both  sides  of  the  entrance 
stood  winged  figures  of  bulls  with  human  heads;  on  the  faces 
of  these  was  dignified  calmness. 

"Those  are  kings  of  Assyria,"  thought  the  prince,  looking 
at  their  beards  plaited  in  tiny  tresses. 

The  interior  of  the  temple  was  as  black  as  night  when  't  is 
blackest.  The  darkness  was  intensified  more  by  white  streaks 
of  moonlight  falling  in  through  narrow  high  windows. 

In  the  depth  of  the  temple  two  lamps  were  burning  before 
the  statue  of  Astaroth.  Some  strange  illumination  from  above 
caused  the  statue  to  be  perfectly  visible.  Rameses  gazed  at 
it.  That  was  a  gigantic  woman  with  the  wings  of  an  ostrich. 
She  wore  a  long  robe  in  folds;  on  her  head  was  a  pointed  cap, 
in  her  right  hand  she  held  a  pair  of  doves.  On  her  beautiful 
face  and  in  her  downcast  eyes  was  an  expression  of  such  sweet 
ness  and  innocence  that  astonishment  seized  the  prince,  for 
she  was  the  patroness  of  revenge  and  of  license  the  most 
unbridled. 

"Phoenicia  has  shown  me  one  more  of  her  secrets.  A 
strange  people,"  thought  Rameses.  "  Their  man-eating  gods 
do  not  eat,  and  their  lewdness  is  guarded  by  virgin  priestesses 
and  by  a  goddess  with  an  innocent  face." 

Thereupon  he  felt  that  something  had  slipped  across  his  feet 
quickly,  as  it  were  a  great  serpent.  Rameses  drew  back  and 
stood  in  the  streak  of  moonlight. 

"A  vision!  "  said  he  to  himself. 

Almost  at  that  moment  he  heard  a  whisper,  — 

"Rameses!  Rameses!" 

It  was  impossible  to  discover  whether  that  was  a  man's  or 
a  woman's  voice,  or  whence  it  issued. 

"Rameses!  Rameses!"  was  heard  a  whisper,  as  if  from  the 
ceiling. 

The  prince  went  to  an  unilluminated  place  and,  while  look 
ing,  bent  down. 

All  at  once  he  felt  two  delicate  hands  on  his  head. 

He  sprang  up  to  grasp  them,  but  caught  only  air. 

"Rameses!"  was  whispered  from  above. 


270  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

He  raised  his  head,  and  felt  ou  his  lips  a  lotus  flower;  and 
when  he  stretched  his  hands  to  it  some  one  leaned  on  his  arm 
lightly. 

"Rameses!  "  called  a  voice  from  the  altar. 

The  prince  turned  and  was  astounded.  In  the  streak  of 
light,  a  couple  of  steps  distant,  stood  a  most  beautiful  man, 
absolutely  like  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt.  The  same 
face,  eyes,  youthful  stature,  the  same  posture,  movements, 
and  dress. 

The  prince  thought  for  a  while  that  he  was  before  some 
great  mirror, — such  a  mirror  as  even  the  pharaoh  could  not 
have.  But  soon  he  convinced  himself  that  his  second  was  a 
living  man,  not  a  picture. 

At  that  moment  he  felt  a  kiss  on  his  neck.  Again  he 
turned,  but  there  was  no  one;  meanwhile  his  second  self 
vanished. 

44 Who  is  here?     I  wish  to  know!  "  cried  the  angry  prince. 

"It  is  I  —  Kama,"  answered  a  sweet  voice. 

And  in  the  strip  of  light  appeared  a  most  beautiful  woman, 
naked,  with  a  golden  girdle  around  her  waist. 

Rameses  ran  up  and  seized  her  by  the  hands.  She  did  not 
flee. 

"Art  thou  Kama?  —  No,  thou  art —  Yes,  Dagon  sent  thee 
on  a  time,  but  then  thou  didst  call  thyself  Fondling." 

"But  I  am  Fondling,  too,"  replied  she,  naively. 

"Is  it  thou  who  hast  touched  me  with  thy  hands?  " 

"I." 

"How?" 

"Ao!  in  this  way,"  answered  she,  throwing  her  arms  around 
his  neck,  and  kissing  him. 

Rameses  seized  her  in  his  arms,  but  she  tore  herself  free 
with  a  force  which  no  one  could  have  suspected  in  such  a 
slight  figure. 

"Art  thou  then  the  priestess  Kama?  Was  it  to  thee  that 
that  Greek  sang  to-night?"  asked  the  prince,  pressing  her 
hands  passionately.  "What  sort  of  man  is  that  singer?" 

Kama  shrugged  her  shoulders  contemptuously. 

"He  is  attached  to  our  temple,"  was  the  answer. 

Rameses'  eyes  flamed,  his  nostrils  dilated,  there  was      roar- 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  271 

ing  in  his  bead.  That  same  woman  a  few  months  before  had 
made  on  him  only  a  slight  impression;  but  to-day  he  was 
ready  to  commit  some  mad  deed  because  of  her.  He  envied 
the  Greek,  and  felt  also  indescribable  sorrow  at  the  thought 
that  if  she  became  his  she  must  perish. 

"How  beautiful  thou  art,"  said  he.  "Where  dost  thou 
dwell?  Ah,  I  know;  in  that  villa.  Is  it  possible  to  visit 
thee? — Of  course  it  is.  If  thou  receive  singers,  thou  must 
receive  me.  Art  thou  really  the  priestess  guarding  the  fire  of 
this  temple?" 

"lam." 

"And  are  the  laws  so  severe  that  they  do  not  permit  thee 
to  love?  Ei,  those  are  threats!  For  me  thou  wilt  make 
exception." 

"All  Phoenicia  would  curse  me;  the  gods  would  take  ven 
geance,"  replied  she,  with  a  smile. 

Rameses  drew  her  again  toward  him ;  again  she  tore  herself 
free. 

"Have  a  care,  prince,"  said  she,  with  a  challenging  look. 
"Phoenicia  is  mighty,  and  her  gods — •" 

"What  care  I  for  thy  gods  or  Phoenicia?  Were  a  hair  to 
fall  from  thy  head,  I  would  trample  Phoenicia  as  I  might  a  foul 
reptile." 

"Kama!  Kama!  "  called  a  voice  from  the  statue. 

She  was  frightened. 

"Thou  seest  they  call  me.  They  may  have  heard  thy 
blaspheming." 

"They  may  have  heard  my  anger." 

"The  anger  of  the  gods  is  more  terrible." 

She  tore  away  and  vanished  in  the  darkness  of  the  temple. 

Rameses  rushed  after  her,  but  was  pushed  back  on  a  sudden. 

The  whole  temple  between  him  and  the  altar  was  filled  with  an 

immense  bloody  flame,  in  which  monstrous  figures  appeared, 

—  huge  bats,  reptiles  with  human  heads,  shades  — 

The  flame  advanced  toward  him  directly  across  the  whole 
width  of  the  building;  and,  amazed  by  this  sight,  which  was 
new  to  him,  the  prince  retreated.  All  at  once  fresh  air  was 
around  him.  He  turned  his  head  —  he  was  outside  the  temple, 
and  that  instant  the  bronze  doors  closed  with  a  crash  behind 
aim. 


272  THE    PHARAOH   AND    THE    PRIEST 

He  rubbed  his  eyes,  he  looked  around.  The  moon  from  the 
highest  point  in  the  heavens  had  lowered  toward  the  west.  At 
the  side  of  the  column  Rameses  found  his  sword  and  burnous. 
He  raised  them,  and  moved  down  the  steps  like  a  drunken 
man. 

When  he  returned  to  his  palace  at  a  late  hour,  Tutmosis,  on 
seeing  his  pale  face  and  troubled  look,  cried  with  alarm,  — 

"By  the  gods!  where  hast  thou  been,  Erpatr?  Thy  whole 
court  is  alarmed  and  sleepless." 

"I  was  looking  at  the  city.     The  night  is  beautiful." 

"Dost  thou  know,"  added  Tutmosis,  hurriedly,  as  if  fearing 
that  some  one  else  might  anticipate  him,  "that  Sarah  has  given 
thee  a  son  ?  " 

"Indeed?  —  I  wish  no  one  in  the  retinue  to  be  alarmed 
when  I  go  out  to  walk." 

"Alone?" 

"If  I  could  not  go  out  alone  when  it  pleases  me,  I  should  be 
the  most  wretched  slave  in  Egypt,"  said  Rameses,  bitterly. 

He  gave  his  sword  and  burnous  to  Tutmosis,  and  went  to  his 
bedroom  without  calling  any  one.  Yesterday  the  birth  of  a 
son  would  have  filled  him  with  gladness;  but  at  that  moment 
he  received  the  news  with  indifference.  His  whole  soul  was 
occupied  with  the  thought  of  that  evening,  the  most  wonderful 
in  all  his  life  experience.  He  still  saw  the  light  of  the  moon; 
in  his  ears  the  song  of  the  Greek  was  still  sounding.  Bat  that 
temple  of  Astaroth! 

He  could  not  sleep  till  morning. 


CHAPTER   XXXII 

NEXT    day    the    prince    rose    late,    bathed    himself    and 
dressed,  then  summoned  Tutmosis. 

The  exquisite  appeared  at  once,  dressed  carefully  and  per 
fumed.  He  looked  sharply  at  the  prince  to  learn  in  what 
humor  he  was,  and  to  fix  his  own  features  correspondingly. 
But  on  the  face  of  Rameses  was  only  weariness. 

"Well,"  asked  the  prince,  yawning,  "art  thou  sure  that  a 
son  is  born  to  me?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST  273 

"I  have  that  news  from  the  holy  Mefres." 

4 'Oho!  How  long  is  it  since  the  prophets  are  occupied  with 
my  household?  " 

"Since  the  time  that  thou  hast  shown  them  thy  favor, 
worthiness." 

"Is  that  true?"  asked  the  prince,  and  he  fell  to  thinking. 

He  recalled  the  scene  of  the  previous  uight  in  the  temple  of 
Astaroth,  and  compared  it  with  a  similar  spectacle  in  the  temple 
of  Hator. 

"They  called  my  name,"  said  he  to  himself,  "both  here  and 
there.  But  there  my  cell  was  very  narrow,  and  the  walls  were 
thick;  here  the  person  calling,  namely,  Kama,  could  hide  her 
self  behind  a  column  and  whisper.  But  here  it  was  terribly 
dark,  while  in  my  cell  it  was  clear."  At  last  he  said  to 
Tutmosis,  — 

"When  did  that  happen?" 

"When  was  thy  worthy  sou  born?  About  ten  days  ago. 
The  mother  and  child  are  well ;  they  seem  perfectly  healthy. 
At  the  birth  were  present  Menes  himself,  thy  worthy  mother's 
physician,  and  his  worthiness  Herhor." 

"Well  —  well,"  said  the  prince,  and  again  he  fell  to  think 
ing:  "They  touched  me  here  and  there,  with  a  hand  in  both 
cases.  Was  there  such  a  difference?  It  seems  to  me  that 
there  was,  maybe  for  the  reason  that  here  I  was,  and  there  I 
was  not,  prepared  to  see  a  miracle.  But  here  they  showed  me 
another  myself,  which  they  did  not  succeed  in  doing  there. 
Very  clever  are  the  priests !  I  am  curious  to  know  who  rep 
resented  me  so  well,  —  a  god  or  a  man?  Oh,  the  priests  are 
very  clever,  and  I  do  not  know  even  whom  to  trust  more,  — 
our  priests  or  the  Phoanicians? 

"Hear  me,  Tutmosis,"  said  he,  aloud.  "They  must  come 
hither;  I  must  see  my  son.  At  last  no  one  will  have  the  right 
to  consider  himself  better  than  I." 

"Is  the  worthy  Sarah  to  come  immediately  with  her  son? " 

"Let  them  come  at  the  earliest,  if  their  health  permit. 
Within  the  palace  bounds  are  many  convenient  buildings.  It 
is  necessary  to  choose  a  place  among  the  trees,  quiet,  and, 
when  the  time  of  heat  comes,  cool.  Let  me,  too,  show  the 
world  my  son." 

18 


274  THE    PHARAOH   AND    THE    PRIEST 

Again  he  was  thoughtful ;  this  disquieted  Tutmosis. 

"Yes,  they  are  clever!  "  thought  Rameses.  "That  they  de 
ceive  the  common  people,  even  by  rude  methods,  I  knew. 
Poor  sacred  Apis!  how  many  prods  he  got  during  processions 
when  people  lay  prostrate  before  him!  But  to  deceive  me,  I 
should  not  have  believed  that,  —  voices  of  gods,  invisible 
hands,  a  man  covered  with  pitch;  these  were  accessories! 
Then  came  Pentuer's  song  about  the  decrease  of  land  and 
population,  the  officials,  the  Phoenicians,  and  all  that  to  dis 
gust  me  with  war." 

Tutmosis  said  suddenly,  — 

"I  fall  on  my  face  before  thee. " 

"I  must  bring  hither,  gradually,  regiments  from  cities  near 
the  sea.  I  wish  to  have  a  review  and  reward  them  for 
loyalty." 

"But  we,  the  nobles,  are  we  not  loyal  to  thee?"  inquired 
Tutmosis,  confused. 

"The  nobles  and  the  army  are  one." 

"But  the  nomarchs  and  the  officials?" 

"Even  the  officials  are  loyal,"  answered  the  prince.  "What 
do  I  say?  The  Phoenicians  even  are  so,  though  in  many  other 
points  they  are  deceivers." 

"By  the  gods!  speak  in  a  lower  voice,"  whispered  Tutmosis; 
and  he  looked  toward  the  other  room  timidly. 

"Oho!  "  laughed  the  prince,  "why  this  alarm?  So  for  thee, 
too,  it  is  no  secret  that  we  have  traitors  ?  " 

"I  know  of  whom  thou  art  speaking,  worthiness,  for  thou 
wert  always  prejudiced  against — " 

"Against  whom?  " 

"Against  whom  —  I  divine.  But  I  thought  that  after  the 
agreement  with  Herhor,  after  a  long  stay  in  the  temple  — " 

"What  of  the  temple?  In  the  temple,  and  in  the  whole 
country,  for  that  matter,  I  have  convinced  myself  of  one 
thing,  that  the  very  best  lands,  the  most  active  population, 
and  immense  wealth  are  not  the  property  of  the  pharaoh." 

"Quieter!  quieter!"  whispered  Tutmosis. 

"Bat  I  am  quiet  always;  I  have  a  calm  face  at  all  times,  so 
let  me  speak  even  here;  besides,  I  should  have  the  right  to 
say,  even  in  the  supreme  council,  that  in  this  Egypt,  which 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  275 

belongs  entirely  to  my  father,  I,  his  heir  and  viceroy,  had 
to  borrow  a  hundred  talents  from  a  petty  prince  of  Tyre.  Is 
this  not  a  shame?  " 

"But  how  did  this  come  to  thy  mind  to-day?"  asked  Tut- 
mosis,  wishing  to  put  an  end  to  the  perilous  conversation  as 
quickly  as  possible. 

"How?"  answered  the  prince;  and  he  grew  silent,  to  sink 
again  into  meditation. 

"It  would  not  mean  so  much,"  thought  he,  "if  they  de 
ceived  me  alone;  I  am  only  heir  to  the  pharaoh,  and  not 
admitted  to  all  secrets.  But  who  will  assure  me  that  they 
have  not  acted  in  the  same  way  with  my  worthy  father?  He 
has  trusted  them  entirely  during  thirty  and  some  years ;  he  has 
bowed  down  before  miracles,  given  abundant  offerings  to  the 
gods,  for  this  result,  —  that  his  property  and  power  should  pass 
into  the  hands  of  ambitious  tricksters!  And  no  one  has 
opened  his  eyes.  For  the  pharaoh  cannot,  like  me,  enter 
Phoenician  temples  at  night,  and  absolutely  no  one  has  ad 
mission  to  his  holiness. 

"But  who  will  assure  me  to-day  that  the  priests  are  not 
striving  to  overthrow  the  throne,  as  Hiram  said?  Even  my 
father  informed  me  that  the  Phoenicians  are  most  truthful 
wherever  they  have  an  interest  to  be  so.  Assuredly  it  is  their 
interest  not  to  be  expelled  from  Egypt,  and  not  to  fall  under 
the  power  of  Assyria.  The  Assyrians  are  a  herd  of  raging 
lions!  Wherever  they  pass  through  a  country  nothing  is  left 
except  ruins  and  dead  bodies,  as  after  a  fire  —  " 

All  at  once  Rameses  raised  his  head ;  from  a  distance  came 
the  sound  of  flutes  and  horns. 

"What  does  this  mean?  "  inquired  he  of  Tutmosis. 

"Great  news!"  replied  the  courtier,  with  a  smile.  "The 
Asiatics  are  welcoming  a  famous  pilgrim  from  Babylon." 

1 '  From  Babylon  ?     Who  is  he  ?" 

"His  name  is  Sargon." 

"Sargon?"  repeated  the  prince.  "Sargon?  Ha!  ha!" 
laughed  the  prince.  "What  is  he?" 

"He  must  be  a  great  dignitary  at  the  court  of  King  Assar. 
He  brings  with  him  ten  elephants,  a  herd  of  most  beautiful 
steeds  of  tho  desert,  crowds  of  slaves  and  servants." 


276  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"But  why  has  he  come?" 

"To  bow  down  before  the  wonderful  goddess  Astaroth,  who 
is  honored  by  all  Asia,"  answered  Tutmosis. 

uHa!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  the  prince,  recalling  what  Hiram 
had  said  of  the  coming  of  the  Assyrian  ambassador,  Sargon. 
"Ha!  ha!  ha!  Sargon,  a  relative  of  King  Assar,  has  become 
all  at  once  such  a  devotee  that  for  whole  months  he  goes  on  a 
difficult  journey  only  to  do  honor  in  Pi-Bast  to  the  goddess 
Astaroth.  But  in  Nineveh  he  could  have  found  greater  gods 
and  more  learned  priests.  Ha!  ha!  ha!" 

Tutmosis  looked  at  the  prince  with  astonishment. 

"What  has  happened  to  thee,  Erpatr?"  asked  he. 

"Here  is  a  miracle  not  described,  I  think,  in  the  chronicles 
of  any  temple.  But  think,  Tutmosis:  When  thou  art  most 
occupied  with  the  problem  of  catching  the  thief  who  is  always 
plundering  thee,  that  same  thief  puts  his  hand  again  into  thy 
casket  before  thy  eyes,  in  presence  of  a  thousand  witnesses. 
Ha!  ha!  ha!  Sargon,  a  pious  pilgrim!" 

"I  understand  nothing,"  whispered  Tutmosis,  in  anxiety. 

"And thou  hast  no  need  to  understand,"  replied  the  viceroy. 
"Remember  only  that  Sargon  has  come  hither  for  devotional 
purposes." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  everything  of  which  thou  art  speak 
ing,"  said  Tutmosis,  lowering  his  voice,  "is  very  dangerous." 

"Then  do  not  mention  it  to  any  one." 

"I  will  not;  but  art  thou  sure  that  thou  thyself,  prince,  wilt 
not  betray  the  secret?  Thou  art  as  quick  as  lightning." 

The  prince  placed  his  hand  on  the  courtier's  shoulder. 

"Be  at  rest,"  said  he,  looking  him  in  the  eyes.  "If  ye  will 
only  be  loyal  to  me,  ye,  the  nobles,  and  the  army,  ye  will  see 
wonderful  things,  and,  as  regards  you,  evil  times  will  be 
ended." 

"Thou  knowest  that  we  are  ready  to  die  at  thy  command," 
said  Tutmosis,  placing  his  hand  on  his  breast. 

There  was  such  uncommon  seriousness  on  the  adjutant's 
face  that  the  prince  understood,  moreover  not  for  the  first 
time,  that  there  was  concealed  in  that  riotous  exquisite  a 
valiant  man,  on  whose  sword  and  understanding  he  could 
put  reliance. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST  277 

From  that  time  the  prince  had  no  more  such  strange  con 
versations  with  Tutmosis.  But  that  faithful  friend  and  ser 
vant  divined  that  connected  with  the  arrival  of  Sargon  were 
some  great  hidden  interests  of  state  which  the  priests  alone 
had  decided. 

For  a  certain  time  all  the  Egyptian  aristocracy,  no- 
marchs,  higher  officials,  and  leaders  had  been  whispering 
among  themselves  very  quietly,  yes,  very  quietly,  that  im 
portant  events  were  approaching.  For  the  Phoenicians  under 
an  oath  to  keep  the  secret  had  told  them  of  certain  treaties 
with  Assyria,  according  to  which  Phoenicia  would  be  lost, 
and  Egypt  be  covered  with  disgrace  and  become  even  trib 
utary. 

Indignation  among  the  aristocracy  was  immense,  but  DO 
one  betrayed  himself;  on  the  contrary,  as  well  at  the  court 
of  Rameses  as  at  the  courts  of  the  nomarchs  of  Lower  Egypt, 
people  amused  themselves  perfectly.  It  might  have  been 
thought  that  with  the  weather  had  fallen  on  men  a  rage  not 
only  for  amusements  but  for  riot.  There  was  no  day  without 
spectacles,  feasts,  and  triumphal  festivals;  there  was  no  night 
without  illuminations  and  uproar.  Not  only  in  Pi-Bast  but 
in  every  city  it  had  become  the  fashion  to  run  through  the 
streets  with  torches,  music,  and,  above  all,  with  full  pitchers. 
They  broke  into  houses  and  dragged  out  sleeping  dwellers  to 
drinking-bouts;  and  since  the  Egyptians  were  inclined  toward 
festivities  every  man  living  amused  himself. 

During  Rameses'  stay  in  the  temple  of  Hator  the  Phoeni 
cians,  seized  by  a  panic,  passed  their  days  in  prayer  and  re 
fused  credit  to  every  man.  But  after  Hiram's  interview  with 
the  viceroy  caution  deserted  the  Phoenicians,  and  they  began 
to  make  loans  to  Egyptian  lords  more  liberally  than  at  any 
time  earlier. 

Such  abundance  of  gold  and  goods  as  there  was  in  Lower 
Egypt,  and,  above  all,  such  small  per  cent  the  oldest  men. 
could  not  remember. 

The  severe  and  wise  priests  turned  attention  to  the  madness 
of  the  upper  classes;  but  they  were  mistaken  in  estimating 
the  cause  of  it,  and  the  holy  Mentezufis,  who  sent  a  report 
every  few  days  to  Herhor.  stated  that  the  heir,  wearied  by  re- 


278  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ligious  practices  in  the  temple,  was  amusing  himself  to  mad 
ness,  and  with  him  the  entire  aristocracy. 

The  worthy  minister  did  not  even  answer  these  statements, 
which  showed  that  he  considered  the  rioting  of  the  prince  as 
quite  natural  and  perhaps  even  useful. 

With  such  mental  conditions  around  him  Rameses  enjoyed 
much  freedom.  Almost  every  evening  when  his  attendants 
had  drunk  too  much  wine  and  had  begun  to  lose  conscious 
ness,  the  prince  slipped  out  of  the  palace.  Hidden  by  the 
dark  burnous  of  an  officer,  he  hurried  through  the  empty  streets 
and  out  beyond  the  city  to  the  gardens  of  the  temple  of  As- 
taroth.  There  he  found  the  bench  before  that  small  villa,  and, 
hidden  among  the  trees,  listened  to  the  song  of  Kama's  wor 
shipper,  and  dreamed  of  the  priestess. 

The  moon  rose  later  and  later,  drawing  near  its  renewal. 
The  nights  were  dark,  the  effects  of  light  were  gone ;  but  in 
spite  of  this  Rameses  continued  to  see  that  brightness  of  the 
first  night,  and  he  heard  the  passionate  strophes  of  the  Greek 
singer. 

More  than  once  he  rose  from  his  bench  to  go  directly  to 
Kama's  dwelling,  but  shame  seized  him.  He  felt  that  it  did 
not  become  the  heir  of  Egypt  to  show  himself  in  the  house  of 
a  priestess  who  was  visited  by  any  pilgrim  who  gave  a  boun 
tiful  offering  to  the  temple.  What  was  more  striking,  he 
feared  lest  the  sight  of  Kama  surrounded  by  pitchers  and  un 
successful  admirers  might  extinguish  the  wonderful  picture  in 
the  moonlight. 

When  Dagon  had  sent  her  to  turn  away  the  prince's  wrath, 
Kama  seemed  attractive,  but  not  a  maiden  for  whom  a  man 
might  lose  his  head  straightway.  But  when  he,  a  leader  of 
armies  and  a  viceroy,  was  forced  for  the  first  time  in  life  to 
sit  outside  the  house  of  a  woman,  when  the  night  roused  him 
to  imaginings,  and  when  he  heard  the  adroit  declarations  of 
another,  a  strange  feeling  rose  in  him,  —  a  mixture  of  sad 
ness,  desire,  and  jealousy. 

If  he  could  have  had  Kama  at  every  call,  she  would  have 
become  repulsive  quickly,  and  perhaps  he  would  have  fled 
from  her.  But  Death,  standing  on  the  threshold  of  her  bed 
chamber,  an  enamored  singer,  and,  finally,  that  humiliating 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  279 

position  of  the  highest  dignitary  before  a  priestess, — all 
this  created  a  condition  which  for  Rameses  was  unknown  till 
that  time,  hence  enticing. 

And  this  was  why  he  had  appeared  almost  every  evening  of 
ten  successive  days  in  the  gardens  of  the  goddess  Astaroth, 
shielding  his  face  from  all  who  passed  him. 

Once,  when  he  had  drunk  much  wine  at  a  feast  in  his  palace, 
Rameses  slipped  out  with  a  settled  purpose. 

"To-night,"  said  he  to  himself,  "I  will  enter  Kama's  dwell 
ing;  as  to  her  adorers  —  let  them  sing  at  her  windows." 

He  passed  through  the  city  quickly;  but  in  the  gardens  of 
the  temple  he  lessened  his  steps,  for  again  he  was  shamefaced. 

"Has  it  ever  been  heard,"  thought  he,  "that  the  heir  of  a 
pharaoh  ran  after  women  like  a  poor  scribe  who  cannot  borrow 
ten  drachmas  anywhere?  All  women  come  to  me,  so  should  this 
one." 

And  he  was  ready  then  to  turn  back  to  his  palace. 

"But  she  cannot  come,"  said  he  to  himself,  "for  they  would 
kill  her." 

He  stopped  and  hesitated. 

"Who  would  kill  her,  — Hiram,  who  believes  in  nothing,  or 
Dagou,  who  knows  not  himself  what  he  is?  True,  but  there 
is  a  multitude  of  other  Phoenicians  in  Egypt,  and  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  wild  and  fanatical  pilgrims  are  prowling  around 
here.  In  the  eyes  of  those  idiots  Kama  would  commit  sacri 
lege  were  she  to  visit  me." 

So  he  went  toward  the  villa.  He  did  not  even  think  that 
danger  might  threaten  him  there,  —  him,  who  without  drawing 
his  sword  might  by  a  mere  look  bring  the  whole  world  to  his 
feet;  he,  Rameses,  and  danger! 

When  the  prince  came  out  from  among  trees,  he  saw  that 
Kama's  house  was  more  brightly  lighted  and  more  noisy  than 
usual.  In  fact,  the  terrace  and  the  rooms  were  filled  with 
guests,  and  around  the  villa  were  throngs  of  people. 

"What  band  is  this?"  thought  Rameses. 

It  was  an  uncommon  assemblage.  Not  far  from  the  house  was 
an  immense  elephant,  bearing  on  his  back  a  gilded  litter  with 
purple  curtains.  At  the  side  of  the  elephant,  neighing  and 
squealing,  and,  in  general,  acting  impatiently,  were  horses 


280  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

with  large  necks  and  legs,  with  tails  plaited,  and  with  some 
thing  on  their  heads  like  metal  helmets. 

Among  these  restless,  almost  wild  animals,  some  tens  of 
men  were  busied,  —  men  such  as  Rameses  had  never  seen 
elsewhere.  They  had  shaggy  hair,  great  beards,  pointed  caps 
with  ear-laps;  some  wore  long  robes  of  coarse  cloth  reaching 
to  their  heels;  others  wore  short  coats  and  skirts,  and  some 
had  boots  on  their  feet.  All  carried  swords,  bows,  and  darts. 

At  sight  of  these  foreigners,  stalwart,  awkward,  laughing 
vulgarly,  smelling  of  tallow,  and  speaking  an  unknown  and 
harsh  language,  the  prince  was  indignant.  As  a  lion,  though 
uot  hungry,  prepares  to  spring  when  he  sees  a  common  animal, 
so  Rameses,  though  they  had  offended  him  in  no  way,  felt  a 
terrible  hatred  toward  those  strangers.  He  was  irritated  by 
their  language,  their  dress,  the  odor  from  their  bodies,  even 
their  horses.  The  blood  rushed  to  his  head,  and  he  reached 
for  his  sword  to  attack  those  men  —  slay  them  and  their 
beasts  also.  But  soon  he  recovered  his  senses. 

"Set  has  cast  a  spell  on  me,"  thought  Rameses. 

At  that  moment  a  naked  Egyptian,  with  a  cap  on  his  head 
and  a  girdle  around  his  waist,  passed  along  the  path  slowly. 
The  prince  felt  that  the  man  was  near  to  him,  even  precious 
at  that  moment,  for  he  was  an  Egyptian.  He  took  from  his 
purse  a  gold  ring  worth  from  ten  to  twenty  drachmas,  and 
gave  it  to  the  bondman. 

"Listen,"  said  he;  "who  are  those  people?" 

"Assyrians,"  whispered  the  Egyptian;  and  hatred  glittered 
in  his  eyes  as  he  answered. 

"Assyrians,"  repeated  the  prince.  "Are  those  Assyr 
ians,  then?  And  what  are  they  doing  here?" 

"Their  lord,  Sargon,  is  paying  court  to  the  priestess,  the 
sacred  Kama,  and  they  are  guarding  him.  May  leprosy  de 
vour  them,  the  wretches,  the  swine  sons!" 

"Thou  mayst  go." 

The  naked  man  made  a  low  obeisance  and  ran,  surely  to 
some  kitchen. 

"Are  those  Assyrians?"  thought  the  prince,  as  he  looked 
at  their  strange  figures  and  heard  their  hated,  though  un-under- 
Stood  language.  "So  already  Assyrians  are  on  the  Nile, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  281 

to  become  brothers  to  us,  or  to  deceive  us,  and  their  digni 
tary,  Sargon,  is  courting  Kama?" 

He  returned  home.  His  imaginings  died  before  the  light  of 
a  passion  felt  then  for  the  first  time.  He,  a  man  mild  and 
noble,  felt  a  deadly  hatred  toward  the  ancient  enemies  of 
Egypt,  whom  he  had  never  met  till  that  evening. 

When  leaving  the  temple  of  Hator,  and  after  his  interview 
with  Hiram,  he  began  to  think  of  war  with  Asia;  that  was 
merely  thinking  that  Egypt  needed  population,  and  the 
pharaoh  needed  treasure;  and  since  war  gave  the  easiest 
means  to  win  them,  and  since,  besides,  it  agreed  with  his 
need  of  glory,  Rameses  conceived  the  plan  of  warfare.  But 
now  he  was  concerned  neither  with  slaves,  nor  treasures,  nor 
glory,  for  in  him  was  sounding  at  that  moment  a  voice 
mightier  than  every  other,  —  the  voice  of  hatred.  The 
pharaohs  had  struggled  so  long  with  the  Assyrians,  both 
sides  had  shed  so  much  blood,  the  struggle  had  fixed  its 
roots  in  their  hearts  so  profoundly,  that  the  prince  grasped 
for  his  sword  at  the  very  sight  of  Assyrian  warriors.  It 
seemed  that  the  spirits  of  all  the  slain  Egyptians,  their  toils 
and  sufferings,  had  risen  in  the  soul  of  this  descendant  of 
pharaohs  and  cried  for  retribution. 

When  Rameses  reached  the  palace,  he  summoned  Tutmosis. 
One  of  them  had  drunk  too  much,  the  other  was  raging. 

"Dost  thou  know  what  I  have  seen  just  now?"  asked  the 
prince  of  his  favorite. 

"One  of  the  priests,  perhaps." 

"I  have  seen  Assyrians.  O  ye  gods!  what  I  felt!  What 
a  low  people!  Their  bodies  from  head  to  foot  are  cov 
ered  with  wool,  as  wild  beasts  are;  the  stench  of  old  tallow 
comes  from  them;  and  what  speech,  what  beard,  what  hair!" 

The  prince  walked  up  and  down  the  room  quickly,  panting, 
excited. 

"I  thought,"  said  he,  "that  I  despised  the  robberies  of 
scribes,  the  deceit  of  nomarchs,  that  I  hated  the  cunning  and 
ambition  of  priests;  I  felt  repulsion  for  Jews,  and  I  feared 
the  Phoenicians;  but  I  convinced  myself  to-night  that  those 
were  all  amusements.  I  know  now,  for  the  first  time,  what 
hate  is,  after  I  have  seen  and  heard  Assyrians.  I  under- 


THE    PHARAOH   AND    THE    PRIEST 

stand  now  why  a  dog  tears  the  cat  which  has  crossed  his 
path." 

"Thou  art  accustomed  to  Jews  and  Phoenicians,  worthi 
ness,  thou  hast  met  Assyrians  now  for  the  first  time,"  put  in 
Tutmosis. 

"Stupidity!  the  Phoenicians !  "  continued  the  prince,  as  if 
to  himself.  "The  Phoenicians,  the  Philistines,  the  Arabs,  the 
Libyans,  even  the  Ethiopians  seem,  as  it  were,  members  of 
our  own  family.  When  they  fail  to  pay  tribute,  we  are  angry; 
when  they  pay,  we  forget  our  feeling. 

"But  the  Assyrians  are  something  strange,  something  inimi 
cal,  so  that  —  I  shall  not  be  happy  till  I  can  count  one  hun 
dred  thousand  of  their  hands  cut  off  by  us." 

Never  had  Tutmosis  seen  the  prince  in  such  a  state  of 
feeling. 

CHAPTER   XXXIII 

A  COUPLE  of  days  later  Rameses  sent  his  favorite  with  a 
summons  to  Kama.  She  appeared  soon  in  a  tightly 
closed  litter. 

Rameses  received  her  in  a  separate  chamber. 

"I  was,"  said  he,  "outside  thy  house  one  evening." 

"Oh,  Astaroth!"  cried  the  priestess.  "To  what  must  I 
attribute  this  high  favor?  And  what  hindered  thee,  worthy 
lord,  from  deigning  to  summon  thy  slave?" 

"Some  beasts  were  there,  —  Assyrians,  I  suppose." 

"Then  thou  didst  take  the  trouble,  worthiness,  in  the  even 
ing?  Never  could  I  have  dared  to  suppose  that  our  ruler  was 
under  the  open  sky,  a  few  steps  from  me." 

The  prince  blushed.  How  she  would  be  astounded  could 
she  know  that  he  had  passed  ten  evenings  near  her  windows ! 

But  perhaps  she  knew  it,  judging  by  her  half-smiling  lips 
and  her  eyes  cast  down  deceitfully. 

"So,  then,  Kama,"  said  the  prince,  "thou  receivest  As 
syrians  at  thy  villa?" 

"That  man  is  a  great  magnate,  —  Sargon, — a  relative  of 
King  Assar,"  answered  Kama;  "he  has  brought  five  talents  to 
our  goddess." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE    PRIEST  283 

"And  thou  wilt  repay  him,  Kama?  "  jeered  the  heir.  "And 
since  he  is  such  a  bountiful  magnate,  the  Phoenician  gods  will 
not  send  thee  death  in  punishment." 

"What  dost  thou  say,  lord?"  exclaimed  Kama,  clasping  her 
hands.  "Dost  thou  not  know  that  if  an  Asiatic  found  me  in 
the  desert  he  would  not  lay  hands  on  me,  even  were  I  myself  to 
yield  to  him?  They  fear  the  gods." 

"Why,  then,  does  he  come  to  thee,  this  malodorous  —  no  — 
this  pious  Asiatic?  " 

"Because  he  wants  to  persuade  me  to  go  to  the  temple  of 
Astaroth  in  Babylon." 

"And  wilt  thou  go?" 

"I  will  go  if  thou  command  me,  lord,"  said  Kama,  conceal 
ing  her  face  with  her  veil. 

The  prince  took  her  hands  in  silence.     His  lips  quivered. 

"Do  not  touch  me,  lord,"  whispered  she,  with  emotion. 
"Thou  art  my  sovereign,  my  support,  the  support  of  all  Phoe 
nicians  in  this  country  —  but  have  compassion." 

The  viceroy  let  her  go,  and  walked  up  and  down  through  the 
chamber. 

"The  day  is  hot,  is  it  not?"  asked  he.  "There  are  coun 
tries  where  in  the  month  of  Mechir  white  down  falls  from  the 
sky,  it  is  said ;  this  down  in  the  fire  turns  to  water,  and  makes 
the  air  cold.  Oh,  Kama,  beg  thy  gods  to  send  me  a  little 
of  that  down,  — though  what  do  I  say"?  If  they  should  cover 
Egypt  with  it,  all  that  down  might  be  turned  into  water  and 
not  cool  the  heart  in  me." 

"For  thou  art  like  the  divine  Amon;  thou  art  the  sun  con 
cealed  in  human  form,"  replied  Kama.  "Darkness  flees  from 
that  place  whither  thou  turnest  thy  countenance,  and  under  the 
gleam  of  thy  glances  flowers  blossom." 

The  prince  turned  again  to  her. 

"But  be  compassionate,"  whispered  she.  "Moreover,  thou 
art  a  kind  god,  hence  thou  canst  not  be  unjust  to  thy 
priestess." 

The  prince  turned  away  again,  and  shook  as  if  wishing  to 
cast  down  a  burden.  Kama  looked  from  beneath  her  droop 
ing  lids  at  him,  and  smiled  slightly. 

When  silence  had  endured  too  long,  she  said, — 


284  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Thou  hast  commanded  to  summon  me,  Sovereign.  Here  I 
am,  to  hear  what  thy  will  is." 

"Aha!"  said  the  prince,  recovering.  "But  tell  me,  O, 
priestess,  aha!  who  was  that  who  resembled  me  so  closely, — 
the  man  whom  I  saw  that  night  in  the  temple?  " 

Kama  placed  a  finger  on  her  lips. 

"A  sacred  mystery,"  whispered  she. 

"One  thing  is  a  mystery,  another  is  not  permitted."  replied 
Rameses.  "Let  me  know  at  least  whether  it  was  a  man  or  a 
spirit?  " 

"A  spirit." 

"But  still  that  spirit  sang  under  thy  window." 

Kama  laughed. 

"I  do  not  wish  to  violate  the  secrets  of  the  temple.'" 

"Thou  hast  promised  that  to  Prince  Hiram,"  put  in  the 
priestess. 

"Well,  well,"  interrupted  the  irritated  viceroy;  "for  this 
cause  I  shall  not  speak  with  Hiram  or  any  other  man  about 
this  miracle,  only  with  thee.  Now,  Kama,  tell  this  spirit  or 
man  who  is  so  like  me  to  leave  Egypt  at  the  earliest,  and  not 
to  show  himself  to  any  one.  For,  seest  thou,  in  no  state  can 
there  be  two  heirs  to  the  throne." 

All  at  once  he  tapped  his  forehead.  Up  to  that  instant  he 
had  spoken  so  as  to  trouble  Kama,  but  now  an  idea  altogether 
serious  came  to  him. 

"I  am  curious,"  said  he,  looking  sharply  at  Kama,  "to 
know  why  thy  compatriots  showed  me  my  own  living  picture. 
Do  they  wish  to  forewarn  me  that  they  have  a  man  to  sup 
plant  me?  Indeed,  their  act  is  astounding." 

Kama  fell  at  his  feet. 

"O  lord!"  whispered  she,  "thou  who  bearest  on  thy  breast 
our  highest  talisman,  canst  thou  suppose  that  the  Phoenicians 
would  do  aught  to  injure  thee?  But  only  think  —  if  danger 
threatened  thee,  or  if  thou  hadst  the  wish  to  mystify  enemies, 
would  not  such  a  man  be  of  service?  The  Phoenician  only 
wished  to  show  thee  this  in  the  temple." 

The  prince  meditated  a  moment,  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"So,"  thought  he,  "if  I  needed  any  one's  assistance!  But 
do  the  Phoenicians  think  that  I  need  assistance?  If  I  do  they 
have  chosen  a  poor  protector. " 


THE   PHARAOH   ANT)   THE   PRIEST  285 

"Lord!"  whispered  Kama,  "is  it  not  known  to  thee  that 
Rameses  the  Great  had,  in  addition  to  his  own  person,  two 
others  to  show  enemies  ?  Those  two  shadows  of  the  pharaoh 
perished,  but  he  survived." 

"Well,  enough  of  this,"  interrupted  the  prince.  "But  that 
the  people  of  Asia  may  know  that  1  am  gracious,  I  designate 
Kama  live  talents  for  games,  in  honor  of  Astaroth,  and  a 
costly  goblet  for  her  temple.  'This  gift  will  be  received 
to-day  by  thee." 

He  dismissed  the  priestess  with  a  motion  of  his  head. 

After  her  departure  a  new  wave  of  thought  mastered  him. 

"Indeed,  the  Phoenicians  are  clever.  If  this,  my  living  pic 
ture,  is  a  man,  they  can  make  of  him  a  great  present  to  me, 
and  I  shall  perform  at  times  miracles  such,  perhaps,  as  have 
never  been  heard  of  in  Egypt.  The  pharaoh  dwells  in  Mem 
phis,  and  at  the  same  time  he  shows  himself  in  Thebes  or  in 
Tanis.  The  pharaoh  is  marching  on  Babylon  with  an  army, 
the  Assyrians  assemble  their  main  forces  there,  and  simultane 
ously  the  pharaoh,  with  another  army,  captures  Nineveh,  —  I 
judge  that  the  Assyrians  would  be  greatly  astounded  by  an 
event  of  that  sort." 

And  again  deep  hatred  was  roused  in  him  against  the  strong 
Asiatics;  again  he  saw  his  conquering  chariot  sweeping  over 
a  battlefield  covered  with  Assyrian  corpses,  and  whole  baskets 
of  severed  hands  stood  before  him. 

For  his  soul  war  had  become  now  as  great  a  need  as  bread 
is  for  the  body.  For  not  only  could  he  enrich  Egypt  by 
it,  fill  the  treasury,  and  win  glory  to  last  through  ages,  but, 
besides,  he  might  satisfy  the  instinct  hitherto  unknown,  but 
roused  mightily  at  that  moment,  to  destroy  Assyria. 

Until  he  had  seen  those  warriors  with  shaggy  beards  he  had 
not  thought  of  them.  That  day  they  had  met  him  and  made 
the  world  seem  so  small  that  one  side  must  give  way,  —  they 
or  he. 

What  r61e  had  Hiram  and  Kama  played  in  creating  his 
present  frame  of  mind?  Of  this  he  had  made  no  estimate. 
He  felt  only  that  he  must  have  war  with  Assj'ria,  just  as  a 
bird  of  passage  feels  that  in  the  month  Pachons  it  must  go 
northward. 


286  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

A  passion  for  war  seized  the  prince  quickly.  He  spoke 
less,  laughed  more  rarely,  sat  in  thoughtfulness  at  feasts,  and 
also  spent  his  time  oftener  and  of tener  with  the  army  and  the 
aristocracy.  Seeing  the  favor  which  the  heir  showered  on  those 
who  bore  arms,  the  noble  youth,  and  even  older  men,  began 
to  join  regiments.  This  attracted  the  attention  of  the  holy 
Meutezufis,  who  sent  a  letter  to  Herhor  with  the  following 
contents: — 

4 'From  the  time  that  the  Assyrians  have  arrived  at  Pi-Bast 
the  heir  is  feverish,  and  his  court  is  inclined  toward  war 
very  greatly.  They  drink  and  play  dice  as  before;  but  all 
have  thrown  aside  robes  and  wigs,  and,  disregarding  the 
awful  heat,  go  about  in  military  caps  and  mantles. 

1  'I  fear  lest  this  armed  readiness  may  offend  the  worthy 
Sargon." 

To  this  Herhor  replied  immediately, — 

"It  is  no  harm  that  our  effeminate  nobles  have  taken  a  love 
for  military  appearance  during  the  visit  of  Sargon,  for  the 
Assyrians  will  have  a  better  opinion  touching  Egypt.  Our 
most  worthy  viceroy,  enlightened  by  the  gods,  as  is  evident, 
has  divined  that  just  now  it  is  necessary  to  rattle  our  swords 
when  we  have  with  us  the  ambassadors  of  such  a  military 
people.  I  am  certain  that  this  valiant  bearing  of  our  youth 
will  give  Sargon  something  to  think  of,  and  will  make  him 
more  yielding  in  arguments." 

For  the  first  time  since  Egypt  had  become  Egypt  it  hap 
pened  that  a  youthful  prince  had  deceived  the  watchful 
priesthood.  It  is  true  that  the  Phoanicians  were  behind  him, 
and  had  stolen  the  secret  of  the  treaty  with  Assyria;  of  this 
the  priests  had  not  even  a  suspicion. 

In  fact,  the  very  best  mask  which  the  heir  had  against  sus 
picion  was  his  impetuosity  of  character.  All  remembered 
how  easily  in  the  past  year  he  had  rushed  from  manoeuvres  at 
Pi-Bailos  to  Sarah's  quiet  country  villa,  and  how  from  feasts 
he  had  grown  impassioned,  recently,  for  administrative  labor, 
and  then  devotion,  to  return  to  feasts  afterward. 

So  no  one  believed,  with  the  exception  of  Tutmosis,  that 
that  changeful  youth  had  before  him  an  object  for  which  he 
would  fight  with  invincible  decision. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  287 

Even  this  time  there  was  no  need  to  wait  long  for  new 
proofs  of  the  prince's  mobility  of  temper. 

To  Pi-Bast,  in  spite  of  the  heat,  came  Sarah  with  all  her 
court  and  her  infant.  She  was  somewhat  thin,  her  child  a 
trifle  ill,  or  wearied,  but  both  looked  very  charming. 

The  prince  was  enchanted.  He  assigned  a  house  to  Sarah 
in  the  choicest  part  of  the  palace  garden,  and  sat  whole  days, 
almost,  at  his  son's  cradle. 

Feasts,  manoeuvres,  and  gloomy  meditations  were  forgotten; 
the  lords  of  his  suite  had  to  drink  and  amuse  themselves  with 
out  him.  Very  soon  they  ungirded  their  swords  and  arrayed 
themselves  in  their  most  exquisite  garments.  The  change  was 
the  more  indispensable  as  Rameses  brought  some  of  them  to 
Sarah's  dwelling  and  showed  his  son  to  them. 

"See,  Tutmosis,"  said  he  once  to  his  favorite,  "what  a 
pretty  child:  a  real  rofce  leaf!  Well,  and  out  of  this  little 
thing  a  man  will  grow  gradually.  And  this  rosy  chick  will 
walk  about  some  day,  talk,  even  learn  wisdom  in  the  schools 
of  the  priesthood." 

"Look  at  his  little  hands,  Tutmosis,"  said  Rameses,  de 
lighted.  "Remember  these  little  hands,  so  as  to  tell  of  them 
some  day  when  I  give  him  a  regiment,  and  command  him  to 
have  my  mace  borne  behind  him.  And  this  is  my  son,  my 
own  son." 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  when  their  lord  spoke  thus 
his  attendants  were  sorry  that  they  could  not  become  dry  or 
wet  nurses  to  the  child  which,  though  it  had  no  dynastic  rights, 
was  still  the  first  son  of  the  future  pharaoh. 

But  this  idyll  ended  very  soon,  since  it  did  not  harmonize 
with  the  interests  of  the  Phoenicians. 

A  certain  day  the  worthy  Hiram  arrived  at  the  palace  with 
a  great  suite  of  merchants,  slaves,  and  also  poor  Egyptians  to 
whom  he  gave  alms,  and  when  he  stood  before  the  heir,  he 
said, — 

"Our  gracious  lord!  to  prove  that  thy  heart  is  full  of  kind 
ness  toward  us  Asiatics  also,  thou  hast  given  five  talents  to 
arrange  games  in  honor  of  the  goddess  Astaroth.  Thy  will  is 
accomplished;  we  have  arranged  the  games,  now  we  have  come 
to  implore  thee  to  deign  to  honor  the  games  with  thy  presence." 


288  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

While  saying  this,  the  gray-haired  Tyrian  prince  knelt  be 
fore  Rameses  and  gave  him  a  golden  key  to  his  box  in  the 
amphitheatre. 

Rameses  accepted  the  invitation  willingly ;  the  holy  priests 
Mefres  and  Mentezufis  had  no  objection  to  the  presence  of  the 
prince  in  honoring  the  goddess  Astaroth. 

"First  of  all,  Astaroth/'  said  the  worthy  Mefres  to  Men 
tezufis,  "is  the  same  as  our  Isis  and  the  Chaldean  Istar; 
second,  if  we  permit  Asiatics  to  build  temples  in  our  land  it 
is  proper  to  be  kindly  to  their  gods  at  seasons." 

"We  are  obliged  even  to  show  some  politeness  to  Phoeni- 
cians  after  the  conclusion  of  such  a  treaty  with  Assyria,"  put 
in  the  worthy  Mentezufis,  smiling. 

The  amphitheatre,  to  which  the  viceroy,  the  nomarch,  and 
the  foremost  officers  betook  themselves  about  four  in  the  after 
noon  was  built  in  the  garden  of  the  temple.  It  was  a  circular 
space  surrounded  by  a  palisade  twice  the  height  of  a  man. 
Inside  the  palisade,  and  round  about,  was  a  multitude  of 
boxes  and  seats  rising  one  above  the  other.  The  structure 
had  no  roof,  but  above  the  boxes  extended  cloth  of  various 
colors,  cut  like  wings  of  butterflies,  which,  sprinkled  with 
fragrant  water,  were  moved  to  cool  the  atmosphere. 

When  the  viceroy  appeared  in  his  box,  the  Asiatics  and 
Egyptians  present  in  the  amphitheatre  gave  forth  a  mighty 
shout.  The  spectacle  began  with  a  procession  of  singers, 
dancers,  and  musicians. 

The  prince  looked  around.  At  his  right  was  the  box  of 
Hiram  and  the  most  noted  of  the  Phoenicians;  on  his  left  the 
box  of  the  Phoenician  priests  and  priestesses.  In  this  Kama 
occupied  one  among  the  first  places,  and  attracted  notice  by 
her  splendid  dress  and  by  her  beauty.  She  wore  a  transparent 
robe  adorned  with  embroidery  of  various  colors,  gold  brace 
lets  and  anklets,  and  on  her  head  a  circlet  with  a  lotus  flower 
composed  most  skilfully  of  jewels. 

Kama  came  with  her  colleagues,  saluted  the  prince  with  low 
obeisances,  and  returned  to  the  box  on  the  left,  where  began 
an  animated  conversation  with  a  foreigner  whose  hair  was 
somewhat  gray  and  whose  presence  was  imposing.  The  hair 
and  beard  of  this  man  and  his  companions  were  plaited  into 
small  braids. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  289 

The  prince  had  come  almost  directly  from  the  chamber  of 
his  son,  and  was  gladsome.  But  he  frowned  when  he  saw 
the  priestess  speaking  with  a  stranger. 

"Dost  thou  not  know,  Tutmosis,  who  that  big  fellow  is  for 
whom  the  priestess  is  so  charming?  "  asked  he. 

"He  is  that  famous  pilgrim  who  has  come  from  Babylon,  — 
the  worthy  Sargon." 

"But  he  is  an  old  grandfather!  " 

"His  years  are  surely  more  than  thine  and  mine  together; 
but  he  is  a  stately  person." 

"Could  such  a  barbarian  be  stately!"  said  the  indignant 
viceroy.  "I  am  certain  that  he  bears  about  the  smell  of 
tallow." 

Both  were  silent:  the  prince  from  anger,  Tutmosis  from  fear 
because  he  had  dared  to  praise  a  man  whom  Rameses  hated. 

Meanwhile  spectacle  followed  spectacle  on  the  arena.  In 
turn  appeared  acrobats,  serpent-charmers,  dancers,  buffoons, 
and  jesters,  who  called  forth  shouts  from  the  audience. 

But  Rameses  was  gloomy.  In  his  soul  sprang  up,  moment 
after  moment,  passions  which  had  been  dormant,  —  hatred  for 
Assyrians  and  jealousy  of  Kama. 

"How  can  that  woman,"  thought  he,  "fondle  up  to  an  old 
man  who  has  a  complexion  like  tanned  leather,  wild  black  eyes, 
and  the  beard  of  a  he-goat? " 

But  once  the  prince  turned  a  more  attentive  look  on  the 
arena. 

A  number  of  naked  Chaldeans  entered.  The  oldest  fixed 
in  the  earth  three  short  spears,  points  upward ;  then,  with  mo 
tions  of  his  hands,  he  put  the  youngest  man  to  sleep.  After 
that  others  took  the  sleeping  man  and  placed  him  on  the 
spears  in  such  fashion  that  one  of  the  spears  supported  his 
head,  another  his  loins,  and  the  third  his  feet. 

The  man  was  as  stiff  as  wood.  Then  the  old  man  made 
motions  above  him  with  his  hands,  and  drew  out  the  spear 
supporting  his  feet.  After  a  while  he  removed  the  spear  on 
which  his  loins  were  resting,  and  finally  that  on  which  his 
head  was  fixed. 

This  took  place  in  the  clear  day,  before  some  thousands  of 
spectators.  The  sleeping  Chaldean  rested  in  the  air  horizon- 

19 


290  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

tally,  without  support,  a  couple  of  ells  above  the  earth.  At 
last  the  old  man  pushed  him  down  and  roused  him. 

The  audience  was  astounded;  no  one  dared  to  applaud  or 
to  shout,  but  flowers  were  thrown  from  some  boxes. 

Rameses  too  was  astonished.  He  bent  towards  Hiram's 
box,  and  asked  the  old  prince  in  a  low  voice,  — 

"Could  they  perform  that  secret  in  the  temple  of  Astaroth?  " 

"I  am  not  conversant  with  all  the  secrets  of  our  priests," 
answered  Hiram,  confused.  ;'I  know,  though,  that  Chaldeans 
are  very  clever." 

"But  we  all  saw  that  that  young  man  rested  in  the  air." 

"If  they  did  not  put  a  spell  on  us,"  said  Hiram,  reluctantly; 
and  he  grew  serious. 

After  a  short  interval,  during  which  servitors  took  to  the 
boxes  of  dignitaries  fresh  flowers,  cool  wine  and  cakes,  the 
most  important  part  of  the  spectacle  began,  —  the  bull  fight. 

To  the  sound  of  trumpets,  drums,  and  flutes  they  led  a 
strong  bull  into  the  arena,  with  a  cloth  over  his  head  so  that 
he  should  not  see.  Then  a  number  of  naked  men  ran  around 
with  darts,  and  one  with  a  short  sword. 

At  a  signal,  given  by  the  prince,  the  leaders  ran  away,  and 
one  of  the  armed  men  struck  the  cloth  from  the  head  of  the 
bull.  The  beast  stood  some  moments  in  a  maze;  then  he 
chased  after  the  dart  man,  who  vexed  him  by  pricking. 

This  barren  struggle  continued  some  tens  of  minutes.  Men 
tormented  the  bull,  and  he,  foaming,  stained  with  blood,  reared 
and  chased  over  the  whole  arena  after  his  enemies  without 
reaching  any. 

At  last  he  fell,  amid  the  laughter  of  the  spectators. 

The  wearied  prince,  instead  of  looking  at  the  arena,  looked 
at  the  box  of  the  Phoenician  priests.  He  saw  that  Kama  had 
moved  nearer  to  Sargon  and  was  conversing  vivaciously. 
The  Assyrian  devoured  her  with  his  glances ;  she  smiled  and 
blushed,  whispered  with  him,  sometimes  bending  so  that  her 
hair  touched  the  locks  of  the  barbarian;  sometimes  she  turned 
from  him  and  feigned  anger. 

Rameses  felt  pain  in  his  heart.  For  the  first  time  it  had 
happened  that  a  woman  had  preferred  another  man  to  him ;  be 
sides,  a  man  who  was  almost  old,  and,  moreover,  an  Assyrian. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  291 

Meanwhile  a  murmur  rose  in  the  audience.  On  the  arena  a 
man  armed  with  a  sword  gave  command  to  tie  his  left  hand  to 
his  breast;  others  looked  at  their  darts  —  a  second  bull  was 
let  in.  When  an  armed  man  tore  the  cloth  from  his  eyes,  the 
bull  turned  and  looked  around  as  if  to  count  his  opponents. 
But  when  they  began  to  prick  him,  he  withdrew  to  th'e  paling 
to  secure  the  rear;  then  he  lowered  his  head  and  followed  the 
movements  of  those  attacking. 

At  first  the  armed  men  stole  up  guardedly  from  both  sides 
to  prick  him.  But  when  the  beast  remained  motionless,  they 
gained  courage,  and  began  to  run  across  in  front,  nearer  and 
nearer. 

The  bull  inclined  his  head  still  more,  but  stood  as  if  fixed 
to  the  earth.  The  audience  laughed;  but  their  joyousness 
was  turned  to  a  cry  of  fear  suddenly.  The  bull  chose  the 
moment,  rushed  forward,  struck  some  man  who  held  a  dart, 
and  with  one  motion  of  his  horns  hurled  him  upward. 

The  man  struck  the  earth  with  broken  bones;  the  bull  gal 
loped  to  the  other  side  of  the  arena  and  stood  in  a  defensive 
position. 

The  men  with  darts  surrounded  the  bull  again,  and  began 
to  irritate  the  animal;  but  now  servants  of  the  amphitheatre 
rushed  to  the  arena  to  carry  off  the  wounded  man,  who  was 
groaning.  The  bull,  in  spite  of  the  redoubled  pricks  of  darts, 
stood  motionless;  but  when  three  servants  had  taken  the 
wounded  man  in  their  arms,  he  rushed  at  that  group  with  the 
swiftness  of  a  whirlwind,  overturned  it,  and  began  to  dig 
the  ground  with  his  forefeet  tremendously. 

There  was  confusion  in  the  audience:  women  screamed,  men 
imprecated,  and  hurled  at  the  bull  whatever  each  one  found 
nearest.  Sticks,  knives,  even  bench  tops  fell  on  the  arena. 
Then  a  man  with  a  sword  rushed  at  the  raging  bull.  But  the 
dart  men  lost  their  heads  and  left  him  unsupported;  hence  the 
bull  tossed  him  and  pursued  the  others.  A  thing  unparalleled 
in  amphitheatres  took  place  then :  five  men  were  lying  on  the 
arena ;  others,  defending  themselves  badly,  were  fleeing  before 
the  beast,  while  the  audience  was  roaring  from  fear  or  from 
anger. 

Next  there  was  perfect  silence;  the  spectators  rose  and  bent 


292  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

forward  out  of  their  places,  the  terrified  Hiram  grew  pale  and 
crossed  his  hands.  Down  to  the  arena,  from  the  boxes  of 
dignitaries,  sprang  two  men,  — Prince  Rameses,  with  a  drawn 
sword,  and  Sargon,  with  a  short-handled  axe. 

The  bull,  with  head  down  and  tail  in  the  air,  was  racing 
around  the  arena,  leaving  clouds  of  dust  behind  him.  The 
beast  rushed  straight  toward  the  prince,  but,  as  if  repulsed 
by  the  majesty  of  the  youth,  avoided  him,  made  directly  at 
Sargon,  and  dropped  to  the  earth.  The  Assyrian,  adroit  and 
immensely  strong,  stretched  him  with  one  blow  of  his  axe, 
given  between  the  eyes. 

The  audience  howled  with  delight,  and  threw  flowers  at 
Sargon  and  his  victim.  Rameses  stood  still  with  drawn 
sword,  astonished  and  angry,  seeing  how  Kama  snatched 
flowers  from  her  neighbors  and  threw  them  to  the  Assyrian. 

Sargon  received  expressions  of  public  delight  with  indiffer 
ence.  He  pushed  the  bull  with  his  foot  to  be  sure  that  the 
beast  was  lifeless;  and  then,  going  a  couple  of  steps  toward 
the  prince,  said  something  in  his  own  speech,  and  bowed  with 
the  dignity  of  a  magnate. 

A  bloody  mist  passed  before  the  prince's  eyes;  he  would 
have  buried  his  sword  in  the  victor's  breast  gladly.  But  he 
conquered  himself,  thought  a  moment,  and  taking  a  gold  chain 
from  his  neck  gave  it  to  Sargon. 

The  Assyrian  bowed  again,  kissed  the  chain,  and  put  it 
around  his  neck.  But  the  prince,  with  a  bluish  flush  on  his 
cheeks,  returned  to  the  door  by  which  actors  entered  the  arena, 
and  amid  plaudits  of  the  audience  left  the  amphitheatre  with 
a  feeling  of  deep  humiliation. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

IT  was  the  month  Thoth.     In  the  city  of  Pi-Bast  and  its 
environs   the  concourse  of  people  had   begun,   because  of 
heat,  to  diminish.     But  the  court  of  Rameses  amused  itself 
always,    and   people   talked   of    what    had    happened    in    the 
amphitheatre. 

Courtiers  praised  the  courage  of  the  prince,  maladroit  men 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  293 

wondered  at  the  strength  of  Sargon,  the  priests  whispered  with 
important  niien  that  in  every  case  the  heir  to  the  throne  should 
not  involve  himself  in  bull-fighta:  for  that  there  were  men 
who  were  hired,  or  who,  at  least,  did  not  possess  public 
veneration. 

Either  Rameses  did  not  hear  these  various  opinions,  or  did 
not  consider  them.  As  to  the  spectacle,  two  episodes  were 
fixed  in  his  memory:  victory  over  the  bull  had  been  snatched 
from  him  by  the  Assyrian,  who  had  also  paid  court  to  Kama, 
and  she  had  received  his  attentions  most  willingly. 

Since  he  might  not  bring  the  Phrenician  priestess  to  his 
palace,  he  sent  one  day  a  letter  to  her  in  which  he  declared 
that  he  wished  to  see  her,  and  inquired  when  she  would  re 
ceive  him.  Through  the  same  messenger  Kama  replied  that 
she  would  wait  for  him  that  evening. 

Barely  had  the  stars  shown  themselves,  when  the  prince 
(with  the  greatest  secrecy,  as  he  thought)  slipped  out  of  the 
palace,  and  went  to  the  villa.  The  garden  of  the  temple  of 
Astaroth  was  almost  empty,  especially  near  the  house  of  the 
priestess.  The  building  was  silent,  and  inside  only  two  tapers 
were  burning. 

When  the  prince  knocked  timidly,  the  priestess  herself  drew 
the  door  open.  In  the  dark  antechamber  she  kissed  his  hand, 
whispering  that  she  would  have  died  had  the  raging  bull  in 
jured  him  in  the  arena. 

"But  now  thou  must  be  at  rest,  since  thy  lover  saved  me," 
said  the  prince. 

When  they  entered  the  lighted  chamber,  Rameses  saw  that 
Kama  was  weeping. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  inquired  he. 

"The  heart  of  my  lord  has  turned  from  me,"  said  she;  "but 
perhaps  justly." 

The  heir  laughed  bitterly  in  answer. 

"Then,  sacred  virgin,  thou  art  already  his  mistress,  or 
about  to  be?" 

"Mistress?  Never!  But  I  may  become  the  wife  of  that 
dreadful  Assyrian." 

Rameses  sprang  from  his  seat. 

"  Am  I  dreaming,"  cried  he,  "or  has  Set  cast  his  curse  on 


294  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

me?  Thou,  a  priestess,  guarding  the  fire  before  the  altar  of 
Astaroth,  —  thou,  who  under  the  threat  of  death  must  be  a 
virgin,  art  thou  going  to  marry?  In  truth,  Phoenician  deceit 
is  worse  than  people's  account  of  it." 

"Hear  me,  lord,"  said  Kama,  wiping  her  tears  away,  "  and 
condemn  if  I  deserve  it.  Sargon  wishes  to  take  me  as  his 
first  wife.  According  to  our  laws  a  priestess  may,  in  very 
exceptional  cases,  become  a  wife,  but  only  if  the  man  is  of 
kingly  origin.  Sargon  is  a  relative  of  King  Assar." 

"And  wilt  thou  marry  him?" 

"If  the  supreme  council  of  Tyrian  priests  command  me, 
what  can  I  do?"  replied  she,  bursting  into  tears  again. 

"And  what  is  Sargon  to  that  council?"  asked  the  prince. 

"Very  much,  perhaps,"  said  Kama,  with  a  sigh.  "The 
Assyrians  will  take  Phoenicia  in  all  likelihood,  and  Sargon 
will  be  its  satrap." 

"Art  thou  demented?"  exclaimed  the  prince. 

"I  say  what  I  know.  In  our  temple  we  have  begun  prayers 
the  second  time  to  avert  misfortune  from  Phoenicia.  We  had 
our  first  prayers  before  thou  didst  come  to  us." 

"Why  do  ye  pray  now?" 

"Because  the  Chaldean  priest  Istubar  has  just  come  to 
Egypt  with  letters,  in  which  King  Assar  appoints  Sargon  his 
ambassador  to  conclude  a  treaty  with  you  about  the  taking  of 
Phoenicia  —  " 

"But  I  —  "  interrupted  the  prince. 

He  wished  to  say,  "know  nothing,"  but  he  restrained  him 
self,  laughed,  and  answered,  — 

"Kama,  I  swear  to  thee,  on  the  honor  of  my  father,  that 
while  I  live  Assyria  will  not  take  Phoenicia.  Is  that  enough?  " 

"Oh,  lord,  lord!"  cried  she,  falling  at  his  feet. 

"Then  thou  wilt  not  become  the  wife  of  that  rude  fellow?  " 

"Oh/'  shuddered  she,  "canst  thou  ask  such  a  question?" 

"And  thou  wilt  be  mine,"  whispered  the  prince. 

"Dost  thou  wish  my  death?"  asked  she,  terrified.  "Well, 
if  thou  wish  it,  I  am  ready." 

"I  wish  thee  to  live,"  whispered  he,  impassioned,  —  "to 
live,  belonging  to  me." 

"That  cannot  be." 


THE,   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  295 

"But  the  supreme  council  of  Tyrian  priests?" 

"They  can  permit  nothing  but  marriage." 

"But  thou  wilt  enter  my  house." 

"If  I  enter  it  not  as  thy  wife,  I  shall  die.  But  I  am  ready 
even  not  to  see  to-morrow's  sun." 

"Be  at  rest,"  replied  the  prince,  seriously.  "Whoso  has 
my  favor  will  not  experience  injustice." 

Kama  knelt  before  him  a  second  time. 

"How  can  that  be?"  asked  she,  clasping  her  hands. 

Rameses  was  so  roused  that  he  had  forgotten  his  position 
and  his  duties;  he  was  ready  to  promise  the  priestess  even 
marriage.  He  was  restrained  from  that  step,  not  by  judg 
ment,  but  by  some  dumb  instinct. 

"How  can  this  be?  How  can  this  be?"  whispered  Kama, 
devouring  him  with  her  glances  and  kissing  his  feet. 

The  prince  raised  her,  seated  her  at  a  distance  from  him, 
and  said  with  a  smile,  — 

"Thou  askest  how  this  can  be  —  I  will  explain  immediately. 
My  last  teacher,  before  I  reached  maturity,  was  a  certain  old 
priest,  who  knew  a  multitude  of  marvellous  histories  from  the 
lives  of  gods,  kings,  priests,  even  lower  officials  and  laborers. 

"  This  old  man,  famed  for  devotion  and  miracles,  did  not 
like  women,  I  know  not  why;  he  even  dreaded  them.  Very 
frequently  he  described  the  perversity  of  women,  and  once, 
to  show  how  great  the  power  is  which  ye  wield  over  men,  he 
told  me  the  following  history:  — 

"A  certain  scribe,  young  and  indigent,  who  had  not  an 
uten  in  his  purse,  who  had  nothing  save  a  barley  cake,  trav 
elled  down  from  Thebes  to  Lower  Egypt  while  seeking  for 
employment.  Men  said  that  in  the  north  dwelt  the  richest 
lords  and  merchants,  and  that  in  case  of  luck  he  would  find 
a  place  in  which  he  might  acquire  extensive  property. 

"He  walked  along  the  Nile,  for  he  had  no  coin  with  which 
to  hire  a  boat,  and  he  pondered,  — 

"  '  How  improvident  are  men  inheriting  a  talent  or  two,  or 
even  ten  talents!  Instead  of  adding  to  their  wealth  by  traffic, 
or  by  lending  at  high  interest,'  thought  he,  'these  men  waste 
what  they  have,  to  no  purpose.  Had  I  a  drachma,  —  well, 
one  drachma  is  too  little,  — but  had  I  one  talent,  or,  better,  a 


296  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

plot  of  land,  I  would  increase  it  yearly,  and  toward  the  end  of 
life  I  should  be  as  wealthy  as  the  wealthiest  nomarch. 

"  '  But  how  begin!'  said  he,  sighing.  'Only  fools  are  fa 
vored  by  the  gods;  and  I  am  filled  with  wisdom  from  my  wig 
to  my  two  naked  heels.  If  in  my  heart  a  grain  of  dulness 
lurks,  it  is  perhaps  my  inability  to  squander,  and  I  should  not 
even  know  how  to  set  about  a  work  so  godless  in  its  object.' 

"As  the  needy  scribe  was  thus  musing,  he  passed  a  mud 
hut  at  which  sat  some  man,  neither  old  nor  young,  with  a 
very  keen  glance,  which  reached  to  the  depth  of  whatever 
heart  came  before  him.  The  scribe,  as  wise  as  a  stork, 
thought  at  once  that  this  must  be  some  divinity;  so  he  bowed 
down  and  said  to  him,  — 

"  '  I  greet  thee,  worthy  master  of  this  splendid  mansion.  I 
grieve  that  I  have  neither  meat  nor  wine,  so  as  to  divide  them 
between  us,  in  sign  that  I  respect  thee,  and  that  whatever  I 
own  is  thy  property.' 

"This  kindness  of  the  scribe  was  pleasing  to  Amon,  for  he 
it  was,  in  human  aspect.  He  looked  at  the  scribe,  and  in 
quired  of  him, — 

"'Of  what  wert  thou  thinking  while  passing  along  here? 
for  I  see  wisdom  on  thy  forehead,  and  I  am  of  those  who  seize 
words  of  truth  as  partridges  pick  up  wheat  kernels.' 

"The  scribe  sighed. 

"  'I  was  thinking,'  said  he,  'of  my  misery,  and  of  those 
frivolous  rich  men  who  spend  their  wealth  without  knowing 
wiiy  or  in  what  manner.' 

"  '  And  wouldst  thou  not  waste  wealth?  '  inquired  the  god, 
retaining  human  semblance. 

"  'Look  at  me,  lord,'  said  the  scribe.  'I  have  a  tattered 
rag  around  my  hips,  and  on  the  road  I  have  lost  my  sandals; 
but  my  papyrus  and  reed  I  bear  with  me  at  all  times,  as  I  do 
the  heart  in  my  body.  Both  while  rising  in  the  morning  and 
lying  down  at  night,  I  repeat  that  wise  poverty  is  far  better 
than  foolish  riches.  If  I  know  how  to  express  myself  in  two 
kinds  of  writing  and  to  solve  the  most  complicated  problems, 
if  I  know  all  plants  and  every  beast  beneath  the  sky,  thou 
mayst  judge  whether  I,  the  master  of  such  lore,  am  capable  of 
wasting  property.' 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  297 

"The  god  pondered  awhile,  and  continued,  — 

"  '  Thy  speech  flows  as  vigorously  as  the  Nile  at  Memphis; 
but  if  thou  art  so  wise,  indeed,  write  for  me  the  name  of 
Am  on  in  two  manners.' 

"The  scribe  took  his  reed  and  brush,  and  in  no  long  time 
he  wrote  the  name  Amon  in  two  manners  on  the  door  of  the 
hut,  and  so  clearly  that  even  dumb  creatures  would  have 
stopped  to  give  Lord  Amon  homage. 

"The  god  was  satisfied,  and  answered,  — 

"  l  If  thou  art  as  skilled  in  reckoning  as  in  writing,  reckon 
for  me  the  following  problem:  If  they  give  me  four  hen 
eggs  for  one  partridge,  how  many  hen  eggs  should  they  give 
me  for  seven  partridges  ? ' 

"The  scribe  gathered  pebbles,  placed  them  in  various  rows, 
and  before  the  sun  had  set,  he  answered  that  they  should  give 
twenty-eight  eggs  for  seven  partridges. 

"The  almighty  Amon  smiled  when  be  saw  before  him  a 
sage  of  such  uncommon  proportions,  and  answered,  — 

"  '  I  recognize  that  thou  hast  spoken  truth  concerning  thy 
wisdom.  If  thou  shalt  appear  equally  enduring  in  virtue  I 
will  so  arrange  that  thou  shalt  be  happy  to  the  end  of  life, 
and  after  death  thy  sons  shall  place  thy  shade  in  a  beautiful 
tomb.  But  now  tell  me:  what  wealth  dost  thou  wish,  — 
wealth  which  thou  wouldst  not  merely  refrain  from  wasting, 
but  wouldst  increase?' 

"The  scribe  fell  to  the  feet  of  the  generous  deity,  and 
answered,  — 

"  '  If  I  had  even  this  hut  and  three  measures  of  land,  I 
should  be  wealthy.' 

"  '  Well,'  said  the  god,  4but  first  look  around  and  see  if  it 
would  suffice  thee.' 

"He  led  him  into  the  hut,  and  said,  — 

"  '  Thou  hast  four  caps  and  skirts,  two  mantles  for  bad 
weather,  and  two  pairs  of  sandals.  Here  is  a  fire,  here  a 
bench  on  which  thou  mayst  sleep,  a  mortar  for  crushing  wheat, 
and  a  pan  for  dough. ' 

"  'But  what  is  this?'  asked  the  scribe,  pointing  to  a  cer 
tain  figure  covered  with  linen. 

"  '  That  is  one  thing  which  thou  must  not  touch;  if  thou  do, 
thou  wilt  lose  all  thy  property.' 


298  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

444Ai!'  cried  the  scribe.  'That  may  remain  a  thousand 
years  there;  I  will  not  trouble  it.  With  permission  of  thy 
honor,  what  estate  is  that  over  there?'  and  he  bent  through 
the  hut  window. 

44  4  Thou  hast  spoken  wisely,'  said  Amon,  'for  that  is  an 
estate,  and  even  a  fine  one.  It  is  composed  of  fifty  measures 
of  land.  There  is  a  spacious  house  on  it,  some  tens  of  cattle, 
and  ten  slaves  belong  to  the  establishment.  If  thou  prefer 
that  estate  — ' 

4 'The  scribe  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  deity. 

44  4  Is  there,'  inquired  he,  4  a  man  under  the  sun  who  instead 
of  a  barley  cake  would  not  prefer  a  loaf  of  wheaten  bread  ? ' 

44 When  he  heard  this,  Amon  repeated  a  formula,  and  that 
moment  both  were  in  the  mansion. 

44  4  Here  thou  hast,'  said  the  god,  4  a  carved  bed,  five  tables, 
and  ten  armchairs ;  thou  hast  embroidered  clothing,  thou  hast 
pitchers,  and  glass  bottles  for  wine,  a  lamp  for  olive  oil,  and 
a  litter.' 

44  4  And  what  is  this? '  asked  the  scribe,  pointing  to  a  figure 
robed  in  muslin  and  standing  in  a  corner. 

44  4  Thou  must  not  touch  that  or  thou  wilt  lose  all  thy 
property. ' 

44  4  Were  I  to  live  ten  thousand  years  I  would  not  touch  it. 
For,  after  wisdom,  I  consider  wealth  the  highest  blessing.' 

44  4  But  what  do  I  see? '  inquired  he  after  a  while,  pointing 
to  an  immense  palace  in  a  garden. 

"4  Over  there  is  a  princely  estate,'  replied  the  god.  4  That 
is  a  palace,  five  hundred  measures  of  land,  one  hundred  slaves, 
and  two  hundred  head  of  cattle.  That  is  a  grand  property ; 
but  if  thou  think  thy  wisdom  sufficient  to  manage  it  — 

44  The  scribe  fell  again  at  the  feet  of  Amon,  and  covered 
himself  with  tears  of  delight. 

44  4  O  lord,'  said  he,  4  is  there  on  earth  a  mad  man  who  in 
stead  of  a  goblet  of  beer  would  not  take  a  cask  of  wine  ?  ' 

44  4  Thy  words  are  worthy  of  the  sage  who  can  make  the 
most  difficult  reckonings/  said  Amon. 

44 He  pronounced  the  mighty  words  of  the  formula;  the  god 
and  the  scribe  found  themselves  in  the  palace. 

44  4  Here  thou  hast,'  said  the  kind  god,  4  a  dining-hall;  in  it 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  299 

gold  and  gilded  curtains,  and  armchairs,  also  tables  inlaid 
with  woods  of  various  colors.  In  the  lower  story  is  a  kitchen 
for  five  cooks;  a  storehouse  where  thou  wilt  find  all  kinds  of 
meat,  fish,  bread ;  finally,  a  cellar  with  perfect  wines  in  it. 
Thou  hast  a  bedchamber  with  a  movable  roof,  with  which 
thy  slaves  will  cool  thee  while  thou  art  sleeping.  I  turn  at 
tention  to  the  bed,  which  is  made  of  cedar  wood,  and  rests  on 
four  lion  legs  cast  from  bronze  skilfully.  Thou  hast  a  ward 
robe  filled  with  linen  and  woollen  garments ;  in  caskets  thou 
wilt  find  rings,  chains,  and  bracelets.' 

"  ABut  what  is  this?  '  asked  the  scribe,  pointing  to  a  figure 
covered  with  a  veil  embroidered  in  gold  and  purple. 

"'Thou  must  guard  thyself  from  this  most  carefully/ 
warned  the  god.  *  If  thou  touch  this,  thy  immense  estate 
will  vanish.  And  there  are  few  such  estates  in  Egypt,  I  as 
sure  thee.  Moreover,  I  must  say  that  in  the  treasury  here 
there  are  ten  talents  in  gold  and  precious  stones  in  addition,* 

"'My  sovereign,'  cried  the  scribe,  'permit  that  the  first 
place  in  this  palace  be  held  by  thy  sacred  statue,  before  which 
I  will  burn  incense  three  times  daily.' 

"'But  avoid  that,'  replied  Amou,  pointing  lo  the  veiled 
figure. 

"  '  Should  I  lose  my  wisdom,  and  be  worse  than  a  wild  boar, 
for  which  wine  is  no  better  than  swill,'  said  the  scribe;  'let 
that  veiled  figure  do  penance  here  for  a  hundred  millenniums, 
I  will  not  touch  it.' 

"  '  Remember  that  if  thou  do  thou  wilt  lose  all  thou  hast,' 
cried  the  god;  and  he  vanished. 

"The  scribe,  now  made  happy,  walked  up  and  down  through 
his  palace  and  looked  out  through  the  windows.  He  examined 
the  treasury  and  tried  the  gold  in  his  hands ;  it  wras  heavy. 
He  looked  at  the  precious  stones;  they  were  genuine.  He 
commanded  to  serve  him  with  food;  in  rushed  slaves  imme 
diately,  bathed  him,  shaved  him,  arrayed  him  in  fine  gar 
ments.  He  ate  and  drank  as  be  never  had  drunk  and  eaten; 
nis  hunger  joined  with  the  perfection  of  the  food  gave  a  mar 
vellous  taste  to  it.  He  burnt  incense  before  the  statue  of 
Amon,  and  wreathed  it  with  fresh  flowers.  Later  he  sat 
down  at  a  window. 


300  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"In  the  courtyard  a  pair  of  horses  were  neighing;  they  were 
harnessed  to  a  carved  chariot.  In  another  place  a  crowd  of 
men  with  darts  and  nets  were  keeping  down  eager  dogs  which 
were  tearing  away  to  chase  animals.  Before  a  granary  one 
scribe  was  receiving  grain  from  earth-tillers ;  before  the  stable 
another  scribe  was  receiving  reckoning  from  the  overseer  of 
the  shepherds. 

44  In  the  distance  were  visible  an  olive  grove,  high  hills  cov 
ered  with  grape-vines,  wheat-fields,  and  on  every  field  were 
date  palms  set  out  thickly. 

44  '  In  truth,'  said  he  to  himself,  '  I  am  rich  to-day,  just  as 
was  proper;  and  I  only  wonder  how  I  endured  life  so  long  in 
abasement  and  misery.  I  must  confess,  too,  that  I  do  not 
know  whether  I  can  increase  this  immense  property,  for  I 
need  no  more  now,  and  I  shall  not  have  time  to  run  after 
investments.' 

"But  after  a  while  it  was  tedious  in  the  house  for  him;  so 
he  looked  at  the  garden,  went  around  the  fields,  talked  with 
the  servants,  who  fell  on  their  faces  in  his  presence,  though 
they  were  dressed  in  such  style  that  yesterday  he  would  have 
thought  it  an  honor  to  kiss  the  hands  of  any  one  of  them ;  but 
he  was  bored  in  the  field  even,  so  he  went  back  to  the  house, 
and  examined  the  supplies  in  his  storehouses  and  cellars,  also 
the  furniture  in  the  chambers. 

44  4They  are  beautiful,'  said  he  to  himself;  4  but  it  would  be 
better  if  the  furniture  were  made  of  gold,  and  the  pitchers  of 
jewels.' 

44  His  eyes  turned  mechanically  toward  the  corner  where  the 
figure  was  concealed  under  an  embroidered  veil  —  and  it  sighed. 

44  4  Sigh!  '  said  he,  taking  a  censer  to  burn  incense  before 
the  statue  of  Amon. 

44  4  He  is  a  kind  god,'  thought  he,  4who  values  the  qualities 
of  sages,  even  when  barefoot,  and  deals  out  to  them  justice. 
What  a  beautiful  estate  he  has  given  me !  It  is  true  that  I 
showed  him  honor  by  writing  Amon  on  the  door  of  that  hut  in 
two  manners.  And  how  beautifully  I  reckoned  how  many  hen 
eggs  he  would  get  for  seven  partridges.  My  teachers  were 
right  when  they  said  that  wisdom  opens  the  lips  of  gods 
even.' 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  301 

"He  turned  again  toward  the  corner.  The  veiled  figure 
sighed  again. 

"'I  am  curious  to  know,'  thought  the  scribe,  'why  my 
friend  Amou  forbade  me  to  touch  that  thing  over  there  in  the 
corner.  Well,  for  such  a  property  he  had  a  right  to  impose 
conditions ;  though  I  should  not  have  imposed  them  on  him. 
For  if  all  this  palace  is  my  property,  if  I  may  use  all  that  is 
here,  why  should  I  not  even  touch  this  thing —  I  may  not 
touch  it,  but  I  may  look  at  it.' 

"He  approached  the  figure,  drew  the  veil  aside  carefully, 
looked;  it  was  indeed  beautiful.  It  resembled  a  boy,  but  was 
not  a  boy.  It  had  hair  reaching  to  its  knees,  delicate  fea 
tures,  and  a  look  full  of  sweetness. 

"  '  Who  art  thou?  '  asked  the  scribe  of  the  figure. 

"'I  am  a  woman,'  answered  the  figure,  with  a  voice  that 
penetrated  his  heart  like  a  Phoenician  dagger. 

"'Woman?'  thought  the  scribe.  'They  did  not  tell  me 
about  woman  in  the  priests'  school.  Woman?'  repeated  he. 
'  But  what  hast  thou  here?  ' 

"  '  Those  are  my  eyes. ' 

"'  Eyes?  What  canst  thou  see  with  eyes  which  would  melt 
before  any  light?  ; 

"  '  Those  are  not  eyes  made  for  me  to  look  from,  but  thou 
must  look  into  them.' 

"  '  Wonderful  eyes ! '"  thought  the  scribe  to  himself;  and  he 
walked  through  the  chamber. 

"Again  he  stood  before  the  figure,  and  asked,  — 

'"But  what  hast  thou  here?  ' 

"  '  Those  are  my  lips.' 

"  '  By  the  gods,  thou  wilt  die  of  hunger,'  cried  he,  '  for  with 
such  little  lips  thou  couldst  take  in  no  food  whatever.' 

"  '  They  are  not  for  eating,'  answered  the  figure,  '  but  thou 
art  to  kiss  them.' 

"  '  To  kiss,'  repeated  the  scribe.  '  They  did  not  tell  me  in 
the  priests'  school  of  kissing.  But  these  —  what  are  they?  ' 

"  '  Those  are  my  hands.' 

"  '  Hands?  It  is  well  that  thou  hast  told  me,  for  with  those 
hands  thou  couldst  not  do  anything;  thou  couldst  not  milk 
sheep  even.' 


302  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  l  My  hands  are  not  for  work.' 

"  '  But  for  what?  '  wondered  the  scribe,  spreading  apart  her 
fingers  (as  I  do  thine,  Kama,"  said  the  prince,  fondling  the 
small  hands  of  the  priestess).  "'But  what  are  those  arms 
for?'  inquired  the  scribe  of  the  figure. 

"  '  To  put  around  thy  neck.' 

"'Thou  wishest  to  say  shoulder,'  cried  the  frightened 
scribe,  whom  the  priest  always  seized  by  the  shoulder  when 
he  was  to  get  stripes. 

"'Not  by  the  shoulder,'  said  the  figure,  'but  this  way;' 
and  she  put  her  arms  around  his  neck  thus,"  said  the  prince 
(here  he  put  his  arms  around  the  priestess),  "and  she  nestled 
up  to  his  breast  thus"  (here  he  nestled  up  to  Kama). 

"Lord,  what  art  thou  doing?"  whispered  Kama.  "But 
this  is  my  death." 

"Have  no  fear,"  replied  the  prince;  "I  was  only  showing 
thee  what  the  statue  did  to  that  scribe  in  his  palace.  The 
moment  she  embraced  him  the  earth  trembled,  the  palace 
disappeared,  dogs,  horses,  slaves  vanished.  The  hill  covered 
with  grape-vines  turned  into  a  cliff,  the  olive-trees  into  thorns, 
the  wheat  into  sand.  The  scribe,  when  he  recovered  in  the 
embrace  of  his  love,  understood  that  he  was  as  poor  as 
he  had  been  on  the  highroad  a  day  earlier.  But  he  did  not 
regret  his  wealth,  since  he  had  a  woman  who  loved  and  who 
clung  to  him." 

"So  everything  vanished  but  the  woman !  "  exclaimed  Kama, 
naively. 

"The  compassionate  Amon  left  her  to  the  scribe  to  console 
him,"  said  the  viceroy. 

"Then  Amon  is  compassionate  only  to  scribes,"  answered 
Kama.  "But  what  does  that  story  signify?" 

"Guess.  But  thou  hast  just  heard  what  the  poor  scribe 
yielded  up  for  the  kiss  of  a  woman  — " 

"But  he  would  not  yield  up  a  throne,"  interrupted  the 
priestess. 

"Who  knows?  if  he  were  implored  greatly  to  do  so," 
whispered  Rameses,  with  passion. 

"Oh,  no!"  cried  Kama,  tearing  away  from  him;  "let  not 
the  throne  go  so  easily,  for  what  would  become  then  of  thy 
promise  to  Phoenicia?" 


THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  303 

They  looked  into  each  other's  eyes  for  a  long  time.  The 
prince  felt  a  wound  in  his  heart,  and  felt  as  if  through  that 
wound  some  feeling  had  gone  from  him.  It  was  not  passion, 
for  passion  remained ;  but  it  was  esteem  for  Kama,  and  faith 
in  her. 

"Wonderful  are  these  Phoenicians,"  thought  the  heir;  "one 
may  go  wild  for  them,  but  'tis  not  possible  to  trust  them." 

He  felt  wearied,  and  took  farewell  of  the  priestess.  He 
looked  around  the  chamber  as  though  it  were  difficult  to  leave 
the  place;  and  while  going,  he  said  to  himself,  — 

"And  still  thou  wilt  be  mine,  and  Phoenician  gods  will  not 
kill  thee,  if  they  regard  their  own  priests  and  temples." 

Barely  had  Rameses  left  Kama's  villa,  when  into  the  cham 
ber  of  the  priestess  rushed  a  young  Greek  who  was  strikingly 
beautiful,  and  strikingly  similar  to  Rameses.  Rage  was  de 
picted  on  his  face. 

"Lykon!  "  cried  the  terrified  Kama.  "What  art  thou  doing 
here?" 

"Vile  reptile!"  replied  the  Greek,  in  his  resonant  voice. 
"  A  month  has  not  passed  since  thy  oath,  declaring  thy  love, 
and  that  thou  wouldst  flee  to  Greece  with  me,  and  now  thou 
art  falling  on  the  neck  of  another.  Are  the  gods  dead?  Has 
justice  deserted  them?" 

"Thou  art  mad  with  thy  jealousy,"  interrupted  the  priest 
ess;  "thou  wilt  kill  me." 

"It  is  sure  that  I,  and  not  thy  stone  goddess,  will  kill  thee. 
With  these  two  hands,"  cried  he,  stretching  out  his  fingers, 
like  talons,  "I  will  choke  thee  if  thou  hast  become  the 
mistress  —  " 

"Of  whom?" 

"Do  I  know?  Of  course,  of  both,  —  of  that  old  Assyrian 
and  this  princeling,  whose  head  I  will  split  with  a  stone 
should  he  prowl  about  this  place  any  longer.  The  prince!  he 
has  all  the  women  of  Egypt,  and  still  he  wants  foreign  priest 
esses.  The  priestesses  are  for  priests,  not  for  foreigners." 

Kama  recovered  her  coolness. 

"But  for  us  art  thou  not  a  foreigner?  "  asked  she,  haughtily. 

"Reptile!  "  burst  out  the  Greek,  a  second  time.  "I  cannot 
be  a  foreigner  for  you  Asiatics,  since  that  gift  of  voice  with 


304  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

which  the  gods  have  endowed  me  is  turned  to  the  use  of  your 
divinities.  But  how  often,  by  means  of  my  figure,  have  ye 
deceived  dull  Asiatics  by  telling  them  that  the  heir  to  the 
throne  of  Egypt  belongs  to  your  faith  in  secret?" 

"Silence!  silence!"  hissed  the  priestess,  closing  his  mouth 
with  her  hand. 

There  must  have  been  something  enchanting  in  her  touch, 
for  the  Greek  grew  calm,  and  spoke  lower. 

"Hear  me,  Kama.  Soon  to  the  bay  of  Sebenico  will  come 
a  Greek  ship,  commanded  by  my  brother.  Make  the  high 
priest  send  thee  to  Pi-Uto;  we  shall  flee  thence  to  northern 
Greece,  to  a  place  which  has  never  yet  seen  a  Phoenician  —  " 

"It  will  see  them  if  I  hide  there,"  interrupted  the  priestess. 

"Should  a  hair  fall  from  thy  head,"  whispered  the  raging 
Greek,  "I  swear  that  Dagon,  that  all  the  Phoenicians  here  will 
lose  their  heads,  or  die  in  the  stone  quarries.  They  will  learn 
what  a  Greek  can  do." 

"But  I  say  to  thee,"  answered  Kama,  in  the  same  tone, 
"that  until  I  collect  twenty  talents  I  will  not  leave  here.  I 
have  now  only  eight." 

"Where  wilt  thou  get  the  other  twelve?" 

"Sargon  and  the  viceroy  will  give  them." 

"I  will  let  Sargon  give,  but  not  the  prince." 

"Foolish  Lykon,  dost  thou  not  know  why  that  stripling 
pleases  me  a  little?  He  reminds  me  of  thee — " 

The  Greek  was  perfectly  quieted. 

"Well,  well,"  muttered  he,  "I  understand  that  when  a 
woman  has  the  choice  between  the  heir  to  the  throne  and  a 
man  with  my  voice  I  have  no  need  to  tremble.  But  I  am 
jealous  and  violent,  so  I  beg  thee  to  let  him  approach  thee  as 
little  as  possible." 

He  kissed  her,  slipped  out  of  the  villa,  and  vanished  in  the 
dark  garden. 

Kama  stretched  her  clinched  fist  after  him. 

"Worthless  buffoon!"  whispered  she;  "thou  who  art  hardly 
fit  to  be  a  singing  slave  in  my  mansion." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  305 


CHAPTER   XXXV 

WHEN  Rameses  on  the  following  morning  visited  his 
son,  he  found  Sarah  weeping.  He  asked  what  the 
cause  was.  She  answered  at  first  that  nothing  troubled  her; 
then  she  said  that  she  was  sad.  At  last  she  fell  at  his  feet 
and  cried  bitterly. 

"My  lord,"  whispered  she,  "I  know  that  thou  hast  ceased 
to  love  me,  but  at  least  avoid  danger." 

"Who  said  that  I  have  ceased  to  love  thee?  "  asked  Rameses, 
astonished. 

"Thou  hast  in  thy  house  three  new  women,  —  ladies  of  high 
family." 

"Ah,  so  that  is  the  trouble?  " 

"Besides,  thou  art  exposing  thyself  for  a  fourth,  —  a  wicked 
Phoenician." 

The  prince  was  confused.  Whence  could  Sarah  know  of 
Kama,  and  know  that  she  was  wicked  ? 

"As  dust  squeezes  into  caskets,  so  scandals  work  into  the 
quietest  houses,"  said  Rameses.  "Who  has  spoken  to  thee 
of  a  Phoenician?  " 

"Do  I  know  who?     My  heart  and  an  evil  omen." 

"Then  are  there  omens?" 

"Terrible.  One  old  priestess  learned,  I  suppose  from  a 
crystal  ball,  that  we  shall  all  perish  through  Phoenicians, 
especially  I  and  —  my  son,"  burst  out  Sarah. 

"And  thou  who  believest  in  One,  in  Jehovah,  fearest  the 
fictions  of  some  stupid  old  woman  who  is  perhaps  intriguing? 
Where  is  thy  great  Deity  ?  " 

"My  God  is  only  mine,  but  those  others  are  thine  ;  so  I 
must  revere  them." 

"Then  that  old  woman  spoke  to  thee  of  Phoenicians?  "  asked 
Rameses. 

"She  told  me  long  ago,  while  in  Memphis,  that  I  should 
guard  against  a  Phoenician  woman,"  answered  Sarah.  "Here 
all  are  speaking  of  a  Phoenician  priestess.  I  cannot  tell; 
maybe  it  is  only  something  wandering  in  my  troubled  head. 

20 


306  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

People  say  even  that  were  it  not  for  her  spell  thou  wouldst 
not  have  sprung  into  the  arena.  Oh,  if  the  bull  had  killed 
thee!  Even  to-day,  when  I  think  of  the  evil  which  might 
have  happened,  the  heart  grows  cold  in  rny  bosom." 

"Laugh,  Sarah,"  interrupted  Rameses,  joyously.  "She 
whom  I  take  to  myself  stands  so  high  that  no  fear  should 
reach  her,  still  less,  stupid  scandal." 

"But  misfortune?  Is  there  a  mountain  top  so  high  that  the 
missile  of  misfortune  may  not  reach  it?  " 

"Thy  sickness  has  wearied  thee,  and  fever  has  disturbed 
thy  mind ;  that  is  why  thou  art  troubled  without  reason.  Be 
quiet,  and  watch  over  my  son.  A  man,"  said  he,  in  deep 
thought,  "be  he  Greek  or  Phoenician,  can  harm  only  beings 
like  himself,  but  not  us,  who  are  gods  of  this  world." 

"What  didst  thou  say  of  a  Greek?  What  Greek?"  asked 
Sarah,  alarmed. 

"Did  I  say  Greek?  I  know  nothing  of  a  Greek.  Such  a 
word  may  have  slipped  from  me;  perhaps  thou  didst  not  hear 
correctly." 

He  kissed  Sarah  and  his  son,  and  took  farewell  of  them; 
but  he  did  not  expel  fear. 

"We  must  say  once,  and  decisively,"  thought  he,  "that  in 
Egypt  no  secret  is  hidden.  The  priests  and  my  attendants 
follow  me,  even  when  they  are  drunk,  or  pretend  to  be,  and 
the  serpent  eyes  of  Phoenicia  are  gazing  at  Kama.  If  they 
have  not  hidden  her  before  me  thus  far,  they  must  have  small 
regard  for  her  virtue.  Moreover,  before  whom  ?  —  Before  me, 
to  whom  they  themselves  discovered  the  deceptions  of  their 
own  temple.  Kama  will  belong  to  me.  They  are  too  much 
involved  in  this  to  think  of  bringing  my  anger  on  their  heads 
by  opposition." 

A  couple  of  days  later  the  holy  Mentezufis,  assistant  of  the 
worthy  Herhor,  came  to  the  erpatr.  Rameses,  looking  at  the 
pale  face  and  downcast  eyes  of  the  prophet,  divined  that  he 
too  knew  of  the  Phoenician  woman,  and  perhaps  wished,  as  a 
priest,  to  reprimand  the  viceroy.  But  this  time  Mentezufis 
did  not  mention  affairs  touching  the  heart  of  the  heir. 

When  he  had  greeted  the  prince,  with  an  official  mien,  the 
prophet  took  the  seat  indicated,  and  began,  — 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  307 

4 'From  the  Memphis  palace  of  the  lord  of  eternity  they  have 
informed  me  that  in  recent  days  the  Chaldean  high  priest 
Istubar,  the  court  astrologer  and  counsellor  of  his  grace  King 
Assar,  has  come  to  Pi-Bast." 

The  prince  desired  to  tell  Mentezufis  the  reason  of  Istubar's 
coming,  but  he  bit  his  lips  and  was  silent. 

"The  renowned  Istubar,"  continued  the  priest,  "has  brought 
documents  in  virtue  of  which  the  worthy  Sargon,  a  satrap,  and 
a  relative  of  King  Assar,  remains  with  us  as  ambassador  of 
that  mighty  sovereign." 

The  prince  was  near  bursting  into  laughter.  The  serious 
ness  with  which  Mentezufis  had  thought  fit  to  lay  bare  a  small 
part  of  the  secrets  long  known  to  Rameses  filled  him  with  con 
tempt  and  delight  also. 

"This  trickster,"  thought  the  prince,  "has  not  an  inkling  in 
his  heart  that  I  know  all  their  villainy." 

"The  worthy  Sargon  and  the  revered  Istubar,"  continued 
Mentezufis,  "will  go  to  Memphis  to  kiss  the  feet  of  his  holi 
ness.  But  first,  worthiness,  thou,  as  viceroy,  wilt  be  pleased 
to  receive  both  these  dignitaries  graciously,  and  their  suite 
also." 

"Very  willingly,"  answered  the  prince,  "and  on  that  oc 
casion  I  shall  ask  them  when  Assyria  will  pay  the  arrears  of 
tribute?" 

"Wouldst  thou  do  that,  worthiness?  "  asked  the  priest,  look 
ing  him  in  the  eyes. 

"That  first  of  all;  our  treasury  needs  tribute." 

Mentezufis  rose  suddenly  from  his  seat,  and  said,  in  solemn 
though  lowered  accents,  — 

"  O  viceroy  of  our  lord,  and  giver  of  life,  in  the  name  of  his 
holiness  I  forbid  thee  to  speak  with  anyone  of  tribute,  but, 
above  all,  with  Sargon,  Istubar,  or  any  man  of  their  suite." 

The  prince  grew  pale. 

"Priest,"  said  he,  standing  up  also,  "on  what  basis  dost 
thou  speak  to  me  as  a  superior?" 

Mentezufis  drew  aside  his  robe,  and  took  from  his  neck  a 
chain  on  which  was  one  of  the  pharaoh's  rings. 

The  viceroy  looked  at  the  ring,  kissed  it  with  devotion,  re 
turned  it  to  the  priest,  and  answered,  — 


308  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"I  will  fulfil  the  command  of  his  holiness,  my  lord  and 
father." 

Again  both  sat  down,  and  the  prince  asked  the  priest,  — 

"Canst  thou  explain  to  me,  worthiness,  why  Assyria  should 
not  pay  us  tribute  which  would  save  the  state  treasury  from 
embarrassment?  " 

"Because  we  have  not  the  power  to  force  Assyria  to  pay  us 
tribute,"  answered  Mentezufis,  coldly.  "We  have  an  army  of 
a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand,  Assyria  has  three  hundred 
thousand  warriors.  I  say  this  to  thee,  worthiness,  in  perfect 
confidence,  as  to  a  high  state  official." 

"I  understand.  But  why  did  the  ministry  of  war,  in  which 
thou  servest,  decrease  our  valiant  army  sixty  thousand  men?" 

"To  increase  the  income  of  his  holiness  twenty  thousand 
talents,"  replied  the  priest. 

"Aha!  Tell  me,  then,  worthiness,"  continued  the  prince, 
"with  what  object  is  Sargon  going  to  the  feet  of  the  pharaoh?  " 

"I  know  not." 

"Aha!  But  why  should  I  not  know,  — I,  who  am  heir  to 
the  throne?" 

"Because  there  are  state  secrets  which  barely  a  few  digni 
taries  know." 

"And  which  even  my  most  worthy  father  may  not  know?  " 

"Assuredly  he  may  not,  for  there  are  things  which  even  his 
holiness  may  not  know,  since  he  does  not  possess  the  highest 
priestly  consecration." 

"It  is  wonderful!"  said  the  prince,  after  some  thought. 
"Egypt  is  the  property  of  the  pharaoh,  and  still  things  may 
be  done  in  it  which  are  unknown  to  him.  Explain  this  to 
me,  worthiness." 

"Egypt  is  first  of  all,  and  even  only  and  exclusively,  the 
property  of  Amon,"  said  the  priest.  "There  is  absolute  need, 
therefore,  that  only  those  should  know  the  highest  secrets  to 
whom  Amon  has  declared  his  plans  and  purposes." 

The  prince,  while  listening,  felt  as  if  people  were  turning 
him  on  a  bed  of  dagger  points  under  which  fire  was  burning. 

Meutezufis  wished  to  rise;  Rameses  detained  him. 

"One  word  more,"  said  he,  mildly.  "Is  Egypt  so  weak 
that  she  cannot  even  mention  the  Assyrian  tribute?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  309 

He  panted. 

"If  Egypt  is  so  wretched,1'  continued  he,  "then  what  assur 
ance  is  there  that  Assyria  will  not  attack  us  ?  " 

"We  may  assure  ourselves  by  a  treaty,"  answered  the  priest. 

The  heir  waved  his  hand. 

"There  are  no  treaties  for  the  weak!"  said  he.     "Silver 
tablets  inscribed  with  agreements  will  not  guard  boundaries    .. 
unless  spears  and  swords  stand  behind  them." 

"But  who  has  told  thee,  worthiness,  that  they  will  not  stand 
on  our  land?" 

"Thou  thyself.  One  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  men 
must  yield  before  three  hundred  thousand.  Were  Assyrians 
to  come  here,  Egypt  would  be  turned  into  a  desert." 

Mentezufis'  eyes  flashed. 

"If  they  were  to  invade  us,"  cried  he,  "their  bones  would 
never  touch  their  own  country!  We  should  arm  all  the  nobles, 
all  the  regiments  of  laborers,  even  convicts  in  the  quarries. 
We  should  take  the  treasures  from  all  temples.  And  Assyria 
would  meet  five  hundred  thousand  Egyptian  warriors." 

Rameses  was  delighted  at  this  outburst  of  patriotism  in 
Mentezufis.  He  seized  him  by  the  hand,  and  said,  — 

"Then,  if  we  are  able  to  have  such  an  army,  why  c(o  we  not 
attack  Babylon?  Is  not  the  great  warrior  Nitager  imploring 
us  for  years  to  do  so?  Is  not  his  holiness  alarmed  by  the 
movement  in  Assyria?  If  we  let  them  concentrate  their 
forces,  the  struggle  will  be  most  difficult;  but  if  we  begin 
ourselves  —  " 

The  priest  interrupted  him,  — 

"Dost  thou  know,  prince,  what  a  war  is  to  which  one  must 
go  through  a  desert?  Who  will  assure  us  that  before  we  could 
reach  the  Euphrates  half  our  army  and  carriers  would  not 
perish  from  hardship?" 

"That  would  be  cured  by  one  battle,"  interrupted  Rameses. 

"A  battle!"  repeated  the  priest.  "But  does  the  prince 
know  what  a  battle  is  ?  " 

"I  hope  so!  "  replied  the  heir,  striking  his  sword. 

Mentezufis  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"But  I  say,  lord,  that  thou  dost  not  know  what  a  battle  is; 
thou  hast  even  an  entirely  false  idea  of  it  from  manoeuvres  at 


310  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

which  thou  hast  always  been  the  victor,  though  more  than  once 
thou  shouldst  have  been  conquered." 

The  prince  frowned.  The  priest  put  his  hand  beneath  his 
robe,  and  said  quickly,  — 

"Guess  what  I  have  in  my  hand,  worthiness." 

"What?"  repeated  Rameses,  with  astonishment. 

"Guess  quickly  and  truly,"  insisted  the  priest,  "for  if  thou 
art  mistaken  two  of  thy  regiments  perish." 

"Thou  hast  a  ring,"  said  the  heir,  who  had  grown  joyous. 

Mentezufis  opened  his  hand;  there  was  a  bit  of  papyrus 
in  it. 

"But  what  have  I  now?  "  asked  the  priest  again. 

"A  ring." 

"Well,  not  a  ring,  but  an  amulet  of  the  divine  Hator.  Dost 
see,  lord,  that  is  a  battle?  In  time  of  battle  Fate  holds  out  her 
hand  every  moment,  and  commands  us  to  guess  at  the  very 
quickest  the  surprise  inclosed  in  it.  We  succeed,  or  we  fail; 
but  woe  to  the  man  who  fails  of tener  than  he  guesses ;  and  a 
hundredfold  more  to  those  on  whom  Fate  turns  her  back  and 
forces  into  blunders." 

"But  still  I  believe,  and  I  feel  here,"  cried  the  heir,  strik 
ing  his  breast,  "that  Assyria  must  be  trampled." 

"Oh,  that  the  god  Amon  might  speak  through  thy  mouth," 
said  Mentezufis.      "What  thou  saystistrue;  Assyria  will  be 
humbled,  perhaps  even  with  thy  hands,  but  not  immediately 
—  not  immediately." 

The  priest  took  farewell ;  Rameses  remained  alone.  In  his 
head  and  his  heart  raged  a  hurricane. 

"So  Hiram  was  right  in  saying  that  they  deceive  us," 
thought  he.  "I  am  certain  now  that  our  priests  have  made 
a  treaty  with  the  Chaldeans  which  his  holiness  will  be  forced 
to  sanction.  Has  anyone  ever  heard  of  a  thing  so  monstrous? 
He,  the  lord  of  the  living,  and  of  the  western  world,  must  sign 
a  treaty  invented  by  intriguers!  " 

Breath  failed  him. 

"The  holy  Mentezufis  has  betrayed  himself.  It  is  true, 
then,  that  in  case  of  need  Egypt  can  put  forth  an  army  of 
half  a  million?  I  did  not  even  dream  of  such  forces.  Still 
they  think  that  I  fear  their  fables  about  fate,  which  commands 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  311 

us  to  solve  riddles.  Only  le-t  me  have  two  hundred  thousand 
men,  trained  like  Greek  and  Libyan  regiments,  and  I  would 
undertake  to  solve  all  riddles  on  earth  and  in  the  heavens." 

"That  is  a  hot  head,"  thought  the  worthy  Mentezufis,  while 
returning  to  his  cell,  —  "a  woman  hunter,  an  adventurer,  but 
strong.  After  the  weak  pharaoh  of  to-day  he  reminds  us 
rather  of  Rameses  the  Great.  In  ten  years  the  stars  may 
change;  he  will  ripen  and  crush  Assyria.  Of  Nineveh  there 
will  remain  only  ruins,  sacred  Babylon  will  find  its  true  place, 
and  the  one  supreme  God,  the  God  of  Egyptian  and  Chaldean 
prophets,  will  reign  from  the  Libyan  desert  to  the  sacred 
Ganges." 

"If  our  youth  would  not  make  himself  ridiculous  by  night 
pilgrimages  to  the  Phoenician  priestess;  if  he  should  be  seen 
in  the  garden  of  Astaroth,  or  if  people  should  think  that  the 
erpatr  was  inclining  his  ear  to  the  faith  of  Phoenicia —  Not 
much  is  needed  in  Lower  Egypt  to  reject  the  ancient  gods. 
What  a  mixture  there  is  of  nations  here!  " 

Some  days  later  the  worthy  Sargon  informed  the  viceroy 
officially  of  his  position  as  ambassador,  declared  the  wish  to 
salute  him,  and  begged  for  an  Egyptian  escort  which  might 
conduct  him  with  all  safety  and  honor  to  the  feet  of  the 
pharaoh. 

The  prince  deferred  his  answer  two  days,  and  appointed  an 
audience  to  Sargon  at  the  expiration  of  two  other  days.  The 
Assyrian,  accustomed  to  eastern  delay  in  journeys  and  busi 
ness,  was  offended  in  no  way,  and  wasted  no  time.  He  drank 
from  morning  till  evening,  played  dice  with  Hiram  and  other 
rich  men  from  Asia.  In  free  moments  he  slipped  away,  like 
Rameses,  to  Kama. 

As  an  elderly  and  a  practical  man,  he  offered  the  priestess 
rich  presents  at  every  visit.  His  feelings  he  explained  as 
follows :  — 

"O  Kama,  why  sit  in  Pi-Bast  and  grow  thin  here?  While 
young,  the  service  of  Astaroth  may  please  thee;  but  when  old, 
a  wretched  fate  will  present  itself.  They  will  take  thy  costly 
robes  from  thee,  and  put  a  younger  woman  in  the  temple ;  thou 
wilt  earn,  then,  a  handful  of  roasted  barley  by  telling  fortunes, 
or  by  nursing  women  in  childbirth.  Had  the  gods  in  punish- 


312  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE  PRIEST 

ment  created  me  a  woman,  I  should  choose  to  be  the  mother 
aud  not  the  nurse  attending  her." 

4 'Hence  I  say,"  continued  Sargon,  "leave  the  temple  and 
join  my  household.  I  will  give  thee  ten  talents  in  gold ;  I 
will  give  forty  cows,  and  of  wheat  a  hundred  measures,,  The 
priests  will  fear  chastisement  from  the  gods,  so  as  to  gain 
from  me  a  better  bargain.  But  I  shall  not  yield  a  drachma; 
I  may  add,  at  most,  a  few  sheep  to  let  them  celebrate  a  solemn 
service.  The  heavenly  Astaroth  will  appear  then,  and  will 
free  thee  from  vows  if  I  acid  a  gold  chain  or  a  goblet." 

While 'listening  to  these  statements  Kama  bit  her  lips  to 
restrain  laughter;  and  he  continued, — 

"If  thou  go  with  me  to  Nineveh,  thou  wilt  be  a  great  lady. 
Thou  shalt  have  a  palace;  I  will  give  thee  also  horses,  a 
litter,  slaves,  and  servants.  In  one  month  thou  wilt  pour  out 
on  thy  person  more  perfume  than  thou  offerest  here  in  one 
year  to  thy  goddess.  And  wha  knows,"  concluded  he,  "thou 
mayst  please  King  Assar;  if  so,  he  would  take  thee  to  his 
palace.  Thou  wouldst  be  the  happiest  of  women,  and  I  should 
get  back  what  I  had  spent  on  thee." 

At  the  palace  of  the  heir,  on  the  day  appointed  to  receive 
Sargon,  Egyptian  troops  were  drawn  up,  and  a  throng  of 
people  were  standing  near,  eager  for  spectacles. 

The  Assyrian  retinue  appeared  about  midday,  the  hour 
when  heat  is  greatest.  In  front  marched  policemen  armed 
with  swords  and  sticks ;  behind  them  a  number  of  naked  swift 
runners,  and  three  horses.  Those  were  trumpeters  and  a 
herald.  At  the  corner  of  each  street  the  trumpeters  sounded 
a  signal,  and  the  herald  called  in  a  loud  voice:  "Behold, 
Sargon  is  approaching ;  the  ambassador  of  the  mighty  Assar, 
a  relative  of  the  king,  a  lord  of  immense  wealth,  a  conqueror 
in  battles,  a  ruler  of  provinces.  Give  him,  O  people,  due 
homage  as  a  friend  of  the  ruler  of  Egypt!" 

After  the  trumpeters  rode  Assyrian  cavalry,  with  pointed 
caps,  in  narrow  skirts  and  jackets.  Their  shaggy  and  endur 
ing  horses  had  on  their  foreheads  and  breasts  bronze  armor 
patterned  as  fish-scales.  Next  appeared  infantry  in  helmets, 
and  long  mantles  reaching  the  earth.  One  division  was  armed 
with  heavy  clubs,  the  next  with  bows,  the  third  with  spears 


TUP:   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  313 

and    shields.      Each   man    had,    besides,    a    sword,    and    was 
armored. 

After  the  soldiers  came  Sargon's  horses,  chariots,  and  lit 
ters,  surrounded  by  servants  in  white,  red,  and  green  gar 
ments.  After  them  came  five  elephants  with  litters  on  their 
backs;  on  one  rode  Sargon,  on  another  the  Chaldean  priest 
Istubar. 

The  procession  was  closed  by  warriors  on  horseback  and  on 
foot,  and  by  harsh  Assyrian  music,  produced  by  trumpets, 
drums,  metallic  plates,  and  pipes  squealing  shrilly. 

Prince  Rameses,  surrounded  by  priests,  nobility,  and  offi 
cers,  dressed  in  various  colors,  and  richly,  was  awaiting  the 
ambassador  in  the  great  hall  of  audience,  which  was  open  on 
all  sides.  The  heir  was  gladsome,  knowing  that  the  Assyrians 
were  bringing  gifts  which,  in  the  eyes  of  Egyptians,  might 
pass  as  tribute.  But  when  he  heard  the  immense  voice  of  a 
herald  in  the  court  praising  the  might  of  Sargon,  he  frowned. 
\Vhen  the  expression  flew  to  his  ears,  that  King  Assar  was 
the  friend  of  the  pharaoh,  he  grew  angry.  His  nostrils  dilated 
like  those  of  an  angry  bull,  and  sparks  flashed  in  his  eye 
balls.  Seeing  this,  the  officers  and  nobility  began  to  assume 
threatening  faces,  and  put  hands  to  their  sword-hilts.  The 
holy  Mentezufis  noted  their  looks,  and  cried,  — 

"In  the  name  of  his  holiness,  I  command  nobles  and  officers 
to  receive  the  worthy  Sargon  with  the  respect  due  a  great 
king's  ambassador!" 

The  heir  frowned,  and  strode  impatiently  along  the  raised 
platform  where  his  viceregal  chair  was  standing.  But  the  dis 
ciplined  officers  and  the  nobles  grew  silent,  knowing  that  they 
could  not  trifle  with  the  assistant  of  the  war  minister. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  court  the  immense  and  heavily  armed 
Assyrian  warriors  stood  in  three  ranks,  opposite  the  half- 
naked  and  slender  warriors  of  Egypt.  The  two  sides  looked 
at  each  other  like  a  band  of  tigers  at  a  herd  of  rhinoceroses. 
In  the  hearts  of  each  ancient  hatred  was  smouldering.  But 
command  towered  above  hatred. 

At  that  moment  the  elephants  entered,  the  Egyptian  and 
Assyrian  trumpets  roared,  the  troops  of  both  armies  raised 
their  weapons,  the  people  fell  on  their  faces,  while  the  As- 


314  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Syrian  dignitaries,  Sargon  and  Istubar,  were  descending  from 
their  litters. 

In  the  hall  Prince  Rameses  sat  on  an  elevated  chair  beneath 
a  baldachin,  while  at  the  entrance  door  appeared  the  herald. 

"Most  worthy  lord,"  said  he,  turning  to  the  heir,  "the  am 
bassador  of  the  great  King  Assar,  the  renowned  Sargon,  and 
his  associate,  the  pious  prophet  Istubar,  desire  to  salute  thee 
and  render  thee  honor  as  viceroy  and  heir  to  the  pharaoh,  - 
may  he  live  through  eternity!  " 

"Ask  those  dignitaries  to  enter  and  comfort  my  heart  by 
the  sight  of  their  persons,"  answered  the  viceroy. 

Sargon  entered  the  hall  with  a  clattering  and  clinking.  He 
was  dressed  in  a  long  green  robe,  thickly  embroidered  with 
gold.  At  his  side,  in  a  snow-white  mantle,  walked  the  devout 
Istubar,  and  behind  them  stately  Assyrian  lords  carried  gifts 
for  the  viceroy. 

Sargon  approached  the  elevation,  and  said  in  the  As 
syrian  language,  which  an  interpreter  repeated  in  Egyptian 
immediately,  — 

"I,  Sargon,  a  leader,  a  satrap,  and  a  relative  of  the  most 
mighty  King  Assar,  come  to  salute  thee,  O  viceroy  of  the 
most  mighty  pharaoh,  and  in  sign  of  eternal  friendship  I 
offer  gifts  to  thee." 

The  heir  rested  his  palms  on  his  knees,  and  sat  as  motion 
less  as  the  statues  of  his  ancestors. 

"Interpreter,"  said  Sargon,  "hast  thou  repeated  badly  to 
the  prince  my  kindly  greeting?" 

Mentezufis,  standing  near  the  elevation,  turned  toward 
Rameses. 

"Prince,"  whispered  he,  "the  Lord  Sargon  is  waiting  for  a 
gracious  answer." 

"Then  answer  him  that  I  do  not  understand  by  what  right 
he  speaks  to  me  as  if  he  were  my  equal  in  dignity." 

Mentezufis  was  confused,  which  still  more  angered  the 
prince,  whose  lips  began  to  tremble;  and  again  his  eyes 
flashed.  But  the  Chaldean,  Istubar,  understanding  Egyptian, 
said  quickly  to  Sargon,  — 

"Let  us  fall  on  our  faces." 

"Why  should  I  fall  on  my  face?"  inquired  the  indignant 
Sargon. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  315 

"Fall,  unless  thou  wish  to  lose  the  favor  of  King  Assar, 
and  perhaps  thy  head  also." 

Thus  speaking,  Istubar  lay  on  the  floor  at  full  length,  and 
Sargon  next  to  him. 

"Why  should  I  lie  on  my  belly  before  that  stripling?"  mut 
tered  Sargon,  indignantly. 

"Because  he  is  viceroy,"  answered  Istubar. 

"Have  I  not  been  viceroy  of  my  lord?" 

"But  he  will  be  king,  and  thou  wilt  not." 

"What  are  the  ambassadors  of  the  most  mighty  King 
Assar  discussing?"  inquired  the  prince,  now  satisfied,  of 
the  interpreter. 

"This:  whether  they  are  to  show  thy  worthiness  the  gifts 
intended  for  the  pharaoh,  or  only  to  give  those  sent  to  thee," 
replied  the  dextrous  interpreter. 

"I  wish  to  see  the  gifts  intended  for  his  holiness  my  father," 
said  the  prince,  "and  I  permit  the  ambassadors  to  rise." 

Sargon  rose,  purple  from  rage  or  weariness,  and  sat  down 
on  the  floor  cross-legged. 

"I  knew  not,"  said  he,  "that  I,  a  relative  and  an  ambas 
sador  of  the  great  Assar,  should  be  forced  to  wipe  with  my 
garments  dust  from  the  pavement  of  an  Egyptian  viceroy." 

Mentezufis  knew  Assyrian,  and  commanded,  without  asking 
Rameses,  to  bring  immediately  two  benches  covered  with 
cushions,  on  which  sat  at  once  the  panting  Sargon  and  the 
calm  Istubar. 

When  Sargon  had  puffed  himself  quiet,  he  gave  command  to 
produce  a  great  glass  goblet,  a  steel  sword,  and  to  lead  up 
before  the  entrance  two  horses  decked  with  gold  housings. 
When  his  command  was  obeyed  he  rose  and,  inclining,  ad 
dressed  Rameses,— 

"My  lord,  King  Assar  sends  thee,  O  prince,  two  wonderful 
horses, — may  they  bear  thee  only  to  victory!  He  sends 
also  a  goblet,  —  may  gladness  always  flow  to  thy  heart  from 
it!  —  and  a  sword  the  like  of  which  thou  wilt  not  find  in  the 
armory  of  the  mightiest  ruler." 

He  drew  from  its  scabbard  a  rather  long  sword,  shining  like 
silver,  and  bent  it.  The  sword  bent  like  a  bow,  and  then 
sprang  out  straight  again. 


316  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"A  wonderful  weapon,  indeed,"  said  Rameses. 

"If  thou  permit,  O  viceroy,  I  will  show  thee  another  of  its 
qualities,"  said  Sargon,  who,  with  the  chance  to  praise  As 
syrian  arms,  which  at  that  time  were  excellent,  forgot  his 
anger. 

At  his  request  one  of  the  Egyptian  officers  unsheathed  a 
bronze  sword  and  held  it  as  if  to  attack.  Then  Sargon  raised 
his  steel  blade,  struck  and  cut  a  slice  from  the  weapon  of  the 
other  man. 

In  the  hall  rose  a  murmur  of  astonishment,  and  an  intense 
flush  came  out  on  the  face  of  Rameses. 

"That  foreigner,"  thought  he,  "took  the  bull  from  me  in 
the  circus,  he  wishes  to  marry  Kama,  and  now  he  shows  a 
sword  which  cuts  our  blades  into  shavings." 

And  he  felt  a  still  deeper  hatred  toward  King  Assar,  toward 
all  Assyrians  in  general,  and  toward  Sargon  especially.  But 
he  endeavored  to  command  himself,  and  with  politeness 
begged  the  envoy  to  show  those  gifts  intended  for  the 
pharaoh. 

They  brought  immediately  immense  packs  made  of  fragrant 
wood;  from  one  of  these  the  higher  Assyrian  officials  took 
articles,  —  goblets,  pitchers,  steel  weapons,  bows  made  of 
goat  horns,  gilded  weapons,  and  shields  set  with  jewels. 

But  the  most  splendid  gift  was  a  model  of  King  Assar's 
palace  in  gold  and  silver.  It  looked  like  three  edifices,  —  the 
second  smaller  than  the  first,  the  third  smaller  than  the  second; 
the  second  built  upon  the  first,  the  third  upon  the  second. 
Each  was  surrounded  thickly  by  columns,  and  instead  of  a 
roof  had  a  flat  pavement.  Each  entrance  was  guarded  by 
lions  or  winged  bulls  writh  human  heads.  On  both  sides  of 
the  stairs  stood  statues  of  vassals  of  the  king,  bearing  gifts ; 
on  both  sides  of  the  entrance  were  carved  horses  in  various 
positions.  Sargon  removed  one  wall  of  the  model,  and  showed 
rich  chambers  filled  with  priceless  furniture.  Special  wonder 
was  roused  by  the  audience  hall,  where  were  figures  represent 
ing  the  king  on  a  lofty  throne,  and  near  him  courtiers,  war 
riors,  and  vassals  giving  homage. 

The  entire  model  was-  as  long  as  twice  the  height  of  a  man. 
and  almost  as  high  as  the  height  of  one  man.  The  Egyptians 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  317 

whispered  that  that  gift  alone  was  worth  a  hundred  and  fifty 
talents. 

When  the  packs  were  carried  out,  the  heir  invited  the  am 
bassadors  and  their  retinue  to  a  feast,  during  which  abundant 
gifts  were  bestowed  on  the  Assyrians.  Rameses  pushed  his 
politeness  so  far  that  when  one  of  the  women  pleased  Sargon 
the  prince  presented  her  to  the  ambassador,  of  course  with  her 
consent  and  the  permission  of  her  mother. 

The  prince  was  polite  and  bountiful,  but  his  face  was  still 
clouded.  And  when  Tutmosis  asked  him  if  King  Assar  had 
not  a  beautiful  palace,  the  prince  answered,  — 

"Its  ruins  on  the  ashes  of  Nineveh  would  be  more  beautiful 
to  my  eyes." 

At  that  feast  the  Assyrians  were  very  abstemious.  Not 
withstanding  the  abundance  of  wine,  they  drank  little,  and 
did  not  shout  greatly.  Sargon  did  not  even  once  burst  into 
loud  laughter,  though  that  was  his  custom ;  he  cast  down  his 
eyes  and  thought  deeply. 

But  the  two  priests  —  Istubar,  the  Chaldean,  and  Mentezufis,     / 
the  Egyptian  —  were  calm,  like  men  to  whom  the  future  is  f 
known,   and  who  command  it. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI 

AFTER  his  reception  by  the  viceroy,  Sargon  delayed  at 
Pi-Bast,  waiting  for  letters  from  the  pharaoh  at  Mem 
phis.  Meanwhile  strange  reports  began  to  circulate  among 
officers  and  nobles. 

The  Pho3nicians  told,  of  course  as  the  greatest  secret,  that 
the  priests,  it  was  unknown  for  what  reason,  not  only  forgave 
the  Assyrians  the  unpaid  tribute,  not  only  freed  them  once 
and  for  all  time  from  paying  it,  but,  besides,  to  facilitate 
some  northern  war  for  the  Assyrians,  had  concluded  a  treaty 
of  peace  for  many  years  with  them. 

"The  pharaoh,"  said  the  Phoenicians,  "on  learning  of  these 
concessions  to  Assyria  fell  very  ill.  Prince  Rameses  is 
troubled,  and  goes  around  grief-stricken.  But  both  must  give 
way  to  the  priests,  for  they  are  not  sure  of  the  nobles  and 
the  army." 


318  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

This  enraged  the  Egyptian  aristocracy. 

"Is  it  possible?"  whispered  magnates  who  were  in  debt. 
"Does  the  dynasty  not  trust  us?  Have  the  priests  under 
taken  to  disgrace  and  ruin  Egypt?  For  it  is  clear  that  if 
Assyria  has  a  war  in  the  distant  north  somewhere,  now  is 
just  the  time  to  attack  her  and  fill  the  reduced  treasury  of 
the  pharaoh  and  the  aristocracy  with  plunder." 

One  and  another  of  the  young  lords  made  bold  to  ask  the 
prince  what  he  thought  of  Assyrians.  Rameses  was  silent, 
but  the  gleam  in  his  eyes  and  his  fixed  lips  expressed  his  feel 
ings  sufficiently. 

"It  is  clear,"  whispered  the  lords,  later  on,  "that  this 
dynasty  is  bound  by  the  priesthood.  It  yields  not  its  confi 
dence  to  nobles;  great  misfortunes  are  threatening  Egypt." 

Silent  anger  was  soon  turned  into  secret  councils,  which 
had  even  the  semblance  of  conspiracy.  Though  many  per 
sons  took  part  in  this  action,  the  priests  were  self-confident, 
or  knew  nothing  of  this  in  their  blindness;  and  Sargon, 
though  he  felt  the  existing  hatred,  did  not  attach  to  it  im 
portance.  He  learned  that  Prince  Rameses  disliked  him,  but 
that  he  attributed  to  the  event  in  the  arena,  and  to  his  jealousy 
in  the  affair  of  the  priestess.  Confident,  however,  in  his  posi 
tion  as  ambassador,  he  drank,  feasted,  and  slipped  away  al 
most  every  evening  to  Kama,  who  received  writh  increasing 
favor  his  courting  and  his  presents. 

Such  wras  the  condition  of  mind  in  the  higher  circles, 
when  on  a  certain  night  the  holy  Mentezufis  rushed  to  the 
prince's  dwelling,  and  declared  that  he  must  see  the  viceroy 
immediately. 

The  courtiers  answered  that  one  of  his  women  was  visiting 
their  lord,  and  that  they  would  not  disturb  him.  But  when 
Mentezufis  insisted  with  increasing  emphasis,  they  called  out 
Rameses. 

The  prince  appeared  after  a  time,  and  was  not  even  angry. 

"What  is  this?"  asked  he  of  the  priest.  "Are  we  at  war, 
that  thou  takest  the  trouble  to  visit  me  at  an  hour  like  the 
present?  " 

Mentezufis  looked  diligently  at  the  prince,  and  sighed  deeply. 

"Has  the  prince  not  gone  out  all  the  evening?  "  inquired  he. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  319 

"Not  a  step." 

"Can  I  give  a  priest's  word  for  this?" 

The  heir  was  astonished. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  answered  he,  haughtily,  "that  thy  word 
is  not  needed,  since  I  have  given  mine.  What  does  this 
mean  ?  " 

They  withdrew  to  a  special  chamber. 

"Dost  thou  know,  lord,"  asked  the  excited  priest,  "what 
has  happened,  perhaps  an  hour  since?  Some  young  men  at 
tacked  the  worthy  Sargon  and  clubbed  him." 

4kWho  were  they?     Where  did  this  happen?" 

"At  the  villa  of  a  Phoenician  priestess  named  Kama,"  an 
swered  Mentezufis,  watching  the  face  of  the  heir  sharply. 

"Daring  fellows,"  said  the  prince,  shrugging  his  shoulders, 
"to  attack  such  a  stalwart  man!  I  suppose  that  more  than 
one  bone  was  broken  in  that  struggle." 

"But  to  attack  an  ambassador!  Consider,  worthy  lord, 
—  an  ambassador  protected  by  the  majesty  of  Assyria  and 
Egypt,"  said  the  priest. 

"Ho!  ho!"  laughed  the  prince.  "Then  King  Assar  sends 
ambassadors  even  to  Phoenician  dancers?" 

Mentezufis  was  confused.  All  at  once  he  tapped  his  fore 
head,  and  cried  out  also,  with  laughter,  — 

"See,  prince,  what  a  simple  man  I  am,  unfamiliar  with 
ceremonies.  I  forgot  that  Sargon,  strolling  about  in  the  night 
near  the  house  of  a  suspected  woman,  is  not  an  ambassador, 
but  an  ordinary  person. " 

After  a  while  he  added,  — 

"In  every  case  something  evil  has  happened.  Sargon  may 
conceive  a  dislike  for  us." 

"Priest!  O  priest!"  cried  Rameses,  shaking  his  head. 
"Thou  hast  forgotten  this,  —  a  thing  of  much  more  impor 
tance,  —  that  Egypt  has  no  need  to  fear  or  even  care  for  the 
good  or  bad  feeling  toward  her,  not  merely  of  Sargon,  but 
King  Assar." 

Mentezufis  was  so  confused  by  the  appositeness  of  the 
remark,  that,  instead  of  an  answer,  he  bowed,  muttering,  — 

"Prince,  the  gods  have  given  thee  the  wisdom  of  high 
priests,  — may  their  names  be  blessed!  I  wanted  to  issue  an 


320  THE  PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST 

order  to  search  for  these  insolents,  but  now  I  prefer  to  follow 
thy  advice,  for  thou  art  a  sage  above  sages.  Tell  me,  there 
fore,  lord,  what  I  am  to  do  with  Sargon  and  those  turbulent 
young  people." 

"First  of  all,  wait  till  morning.  As  a  priest,  thou  knowest 
best  that  divine  sleep  often  brings  good  counsel." 

"But  if  before  morning  I  think  out  nothing?" 

"I  will  visit  Sargon  in  every  case,  and  try  to  efface  that 
little  accident  from  his  memory." 

The  priest  took  farewell  of  Rameses  with  marks  of  respect. 
On  the  way  home,  he  pondered. 

"I  will  let  the  heart  be  torn  out  of  my  breast,"  thought  he, 
"if  the  prince  had  to  do  with  that  business.  He  neither  beat 
Sargon,  nor  persuaded  another  to  beat  him;  he  did  not  even 
know  of  the  incident.  Whoso  judges  an  affair  with  such 
coolness  and  so  pointedly  cannot  be  a  confederate.  In  that 
case  I  can  begin  an  investigation,  and  if  we  do  not  mollify 
the  shaggy  barbarian  I  will  deliver  the  disturbers  to  justice. 
Beautiful  treaty  of  friendship  between  two  states,  which  begins 
by  insulting  the  ambassador!  " 

Next  morning  the  lordly  Sargon  lay  on  his  felt  couch  till 
midday.  He  lay  thus  rather  frequently,  however,  that  is, 
after  each  drinkiug-feast.  Near  him,  on  a  low  divan,  sat 
the  devout  Istubar,  with  eyes  fixed  on  the  ceiling,  while  mut 
tering  a  prayer. 

"Istubar,"  sighed  the  dignitary,  "art  thou  sure  that  no  man 
of  our  court  knows  of  my  misfortune?  " 

"Who  could  know,  if  thou  hast  seen  no  one?  " 

"But  the  Egyptians!  "  groaned  Sargon. 

"Of  the  Egyptians  Mentezufis  and  the  prince  know,  yes, 
and  those  madmen  who  surely  will  remember  thy  fists  for  a 
long  time." 

"They  may  —  they  may;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  heir 
was  among  them,  and  that  his  nose  is  crushed,  if  not  broken." 

"The  heir  has  a  sound  nose,  and  he  was  not  there,  I  assure 
thee." 

"In  that  case,"  sighed  Sargon,  "the  prince  should  impale 
a  good  number  of  those  rioters  on  stakes.  I  am  an  ambassa 
dor;  my  person  is  sacred." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  321 

"But  I  tell  thee,"  counselled  Istubar,  ';to  cast  anger  from 
thy  heart,  and  not  to  complain  even ;  for  if  those  rioters  are 
arraigned  before  a  court,  the  whole  world  will  learn  that  the 
ambassador  of  the  most  worthy  King  Assar  goes  about  among 
Phoenicians,  and,  what  is  worse,  visits  them  alone  during 
night  hours.  What  wilt  thou  answer  if  thy  mortal  enemy, 
the  chancellor  Lik-Bagus,  asks  thee,  4  Sargon,  what  Phoeni 
cians  didst  thou  see,  and  of  what  was  thy  discourse  with  them 
at  night,  outside  their  temple  '  ?  " 

Sargon  sighed,  if  sounds  like  the  growling  of  a  lion  are  to 
be  called  sighs. 

That  moment  one  of  the  Assyrian  officers  rushed  in.  He 
knelt  down,  struck  the  pavement  with  his  forehead,  and  said 
to  Sargon, — 

"Light  of  our  lord's  eyes!  There  is  a  crowd  of  magnates 
and  dignitaries  of  Egypt  before  the  entrance,  and  at  the  head 
of  them  the  heir  himself,  with  the  evident  intention  of  giving 
thee  homage." 

But  before  Sargon  could  utter  a  command,  the  prince  was 
in  the  door  of  the  chamber.  He  pushed  the  gigantic  watch 
aside,  and  approached  the  felts  quickly,  while  the  confused 
ambassador,  with  widely  opened  eyes,  knew  not  what  to  do, 
—  to  flee  naked  to  another  chamber,  or  hide  beneath  the 
covers. 

On  the  threshold  stood  a  number  of  Assyrian  officers,  as 
tonished  at  the  invasion  of  the  heir  in  opposition  to  every 
etiquette.  But  Istubar  made  a  sign  to  them,  and  they 
vanished. 

The  prince  was  alone;  he  had  left  his  suite  in  the  courtyard. 

"Be  greeted,  O  ambassador  of  a  great  king,  and  guest  of 
the  pharaoh.  I  have  come  to  visit  thee  and  inquire  if  thou 
hast  need  of  anything,  also  to  learn  if  time  and  desire  will 
permit  thee  to  ride  in  my  company  on  a  horse  from  my 
father's  stables,  surrounded  by  our  suites  in  a  manner  be 
coming  an  ambassador  of  the  mighty  Assar, — may  he  live 
through  eternity !  " 

Sargon  listened  as  he  lay  there,  without  understanding  a 
syllable.  But  when  Istubar  interpreted  the  words  of  the 
Egyptian  viceroy,  the  ambassador  felt  such  delight  that  he 


322  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

beat  his  head  against  the  couch,  repeating  the  names  Raineses 
and  Assar. 

When  he  had  calmed  himself,  and  made  excuses  for  the 
wretched  state  in  which  so  worthy  and  famous  a  guest  had 
found  him,  he  added,  — 

"Do  not  take  it  ill,  O  lord,  that  an  earthworm  and  a  sup 
port  of  the  throne,  as  I  am,  show  delight  in  a  manner  so 
unusual.  But  I  am  doubly  pleased  at  thy  coming;  first,  be 
cause  such  a  superterrestrial  honor  has  come  to  me;  second, 
because  in  my  dull  and  worthless  heart  I  thought  that  thou, 
O  lord,  wert  the  author  of  my  misfortune.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  among  the  sticks  which  fell  on  my  shoulders  I  felt  thine, 
which  struck,  indeed,  vigorously." 

The  calm  Istubar  interpreted  phrase  after  phrase  to  the 
prince.  To  this  the  heir,  with  genuine  kingly  dignity, 
answered,  — 

"Thou  wert  mistaken,  O  Sargon.  If  thou  thyself  hadst  not 
confessed  the  error,  I  should  command  to  count  out  fifty 
blows  of  a  stick  to  thee,  so  that  thou  shouldst  remember 
that  persons  like  me  do  not  attack  one  man  with  a  crowd, 
or  in  the  night-time." 

Before  the  serene  Istubar  could  finish  the  interpretation  of 
this  speech,  Sargon  had  crawled  up  to  the  prince  and  embraced 
his  legs  earnestly. 

"A  great  lord!  a  great  king!"  cried  he.  "Glory  to  Egypt, 
that  has  such  a  ruler." 

To  this  the  prince  answered,  — - 

"I  will  say  more,  Sargon.  If  an  attack  was  made  on  thee 
yesterday,  I  assure  thee  that  no  one  of  my  courtiers  made  it. 
For  I  judge  that  a  man  of  such  strength  as  thou  art  must  have 
broken  more  than  one  skull.  But  my  attendants  are  un 
harmed,  every  man  of  them." 

"He  has  told  truth,  and  spoken  wisely,"  whispered  Sargon 
to  Istubar. 

"But  though,"  continued  the  prince,  "this  evil  deed  has 
happened,  not  through  my  fault,  or  through  that  of  my  at 
tendants,  I  feel  bound  to  decrease  thy  dissatisfaction  with  a 
city  in  which  thou  wert  met  so  unworthily ;  hence  I  have  vis 
ited  thy  bedchamber;  hence  I  open  to  thee  my  house  at  all 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  323 


times,  as  often  as  thou  mayst  wish  to  visit  it,  and  I  beg  thee 
to  accept  this  small  gift  from  me." 

The  prince  drew  forth  from  his  tunic  a  chain  set  with 
rubies  and  sapphires. 

The  gigantic  Sargon  shed  tears ;  this  moved  the  prince  but 
did  not  affect  the  indifference  of  Istubar.  The  priest  saw  that 
Sargon  had  tears,  joy,  or  anger,  at  call,  as  befitted  the  am 
bassador  of  a  king  full  of  wisdom. 

The  viceroy  sat  a  moment  longer,  and  then  took  farewell 
of  Sargon.  While  going  out,  he  thought  that  the  Assyrians, 
though  barbarians,  were  not  evil  minded,  since  they  knew 
how  to  respond  to  magnanimity. 

Sargon  was  so  touched  that  he  gave  order  immediately  to 
bring  wine,  and  he  drank  from  midday  till  evening. 

Some  time  after  sunset  the  priest,  Istubar,  left  Sargon's 
chamber  for  a  while;  he  returned  soon,  but  through  a  con 
cealed  doorway.  Behind  him  appeared  two  men  in  dark  man 
tles.  When  they  had  pushed  their  cowls  aside,  Sargon 
recognized  in  one  the  high  priest  Mefres,  in  the  other 
Mentezufis  the  prophet. 

"We  bring  thee,  worthy  ambassador,  good  news,"  said 
Mefres. 

"May  I  be  able  to  give  you  the  like,"  cried  the  ambassador. 
"Be  seated,  holy  and  worthy  fathers.  And  though  I  have 
reddened  eyes,  speak  to  me  as  if  I  were  in  perfect  soberness; 
for  when  I  am  drunk  my  mind  is  improved  even.  Is  this  not 
true,  Istubar?  " 

"Speak  on,"  said  the  Chaldean. 

"To-day,"  began  Mentezufis,  "I  have  received  a  letter  from 
the  most  worthy  minister  Herhor.  He  writes  that  his  holi 
ness —  may  he  live  through  eternity!  —  awaits  thy  embassy  at 
Memphis  in  his  wonderful  palace,  and  that  his  holiness  —  may 
he  live  through  eternity!  —  is  well  disposed  to  make  a  treaty 
with  Assyria." 

Sargon  tottered  on  his  feet,  but  his  eyes  showed  clear  mental 
action. 

"I  will  go,"  said  he,  "to  his  holiness  the  pharaoh,  —  may  he 
live  through  eternity!  In  the  name  of  my  lord  I  will  put  my 
seal  on  the  treaty,  if  it  be  written  on  bricks  in  cuneiform  let- 


324  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ters,  for  I  do  not  understand  your  writing.  I  will  lie  even  all 
day  on  my  belly  before  his  holiness,  and  will  sign  the  treaty. 
But  how  will  ye  carry  it  out,  —  ha!  ha!  ha!  that  I  know 
not,"  concluded  he,  with  rude  laughter. 

"How  darest  thou,  O  servant  of  the  great  Assar,  doubt  the 
good-will  and  faith  of  our  ruler?"  inquired  Mentezufis. 

Sargon  grew  a  little  sobered. 

"I  do  not  speak  of  his  holiness,"  replied  he,  "but  of  the 
heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt." 

"He  is  a  young  man  full  of  wisdom,  who  will  carry  out  the 
will  of  his  father  and  the  supreme  council  without  hesitation," 
answered  Mefres. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  the  drunken  barbarian  again. 
"Your  prince—  0  gods,  put  my  joints  out  if  I  speak  an  un 
truth,  when  I  say  that  I  should  wish  Assyria  to  have  such  an 
heir  as  he  is.  Our  Assyrian  heir  is  a  sage,  a  priest.  He,  be 
fore  going  to  war,  looks  first  at  the  stars  in  the  sky ;  afterward 
he  looks  under  hens'  tails.  But  yours  would  examine  to  see 
how  many  troops  he  had;  he  would  learn  where  the  enemy  was 
camping,  and  fall  on  him  as  an  eagle  on  a  lamb.  He  is  a 
leader,  he  is  a  king!  He  is  not  of  those  who  obey  priestly 
counsels.  He  will  take  counsel  with  his  own  sword,  and  ye 
will  have  to  carry  out  what  he  orders.  Therefore,  though  I  sign 
a  treaty,  I  shall  tell  my  lord  that  behind  the  sick  pharaoh  and 
the  wise  priests  there  is  in  Egypt  a  young  heir  to  the  throne 
who  is  a  lion  and  a  bull  in  one  person,  —  a  man  on  whose 
lips  there  is  honey,  but  in  whose  heart  lies  a  thunderbolt." 

"And  thou  wilt  tell  an  untruth,"  interrupted  Mentezufis. 
"For  our  prince,  though  impulsive  and  riotous  somewhat,  as 
is  usual  with  young  people,  knows  how  to  respect  both  the 
counsel  of  sages  and  the  highest  institutions  of  the  country." 

"O  ye  sages  learned  in  letters,  ye  who  know  the  circuits 
of  the  stars!"  said  Sargon,  jeering.  "I  am  a  simple  com 
mander  of  troops,  who  without  my  seal  would  not  always 
be  able  to  scratch  off  my  signature.  Ye  are  sages,  I  am 
unlearned;  but  by  the  beard  of  my  king,  I  would  not  change 
what  I  know  for  your  wisdom.  Ye  are  men  to  whom  the 
world  of  papyrus  and  brick  is  laid  bare;  but  the  real  world 
in  which  men  live  is  closed  to  you.  I  am  unlearned,  but  I 


THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  325 

have  the  sniff  of  a  dog;  and,  as  a  dog  sniffs  a  bear  from  a 
distance ;  so  I  with  reddened  nose  sniff  a  hero. 

"Ye  will  give  counsel  to  the  prince!  But  ye  are  charmed 
by  him  already,  as  a  dove  is  by  a  serpent.  I,  at  least,  do  not 
deceive  myself;  and,  though  the  prince  is  as  kind  to  me  as  my 
own  father,  I  feel  through  my  skin  that  he  hates  me  and  my 
Assyrians  as  a  tiger  hates  an  elephant.  Ha!  ha!  Only  give 
him  an  army,  and  in  three  months  he  would  be  at  Nineveh,  if 
soldiers  would  rise  up  to  him  in  the  desert  instead  of  falling 
down  and  dying  —  " 

"Even  though  thou  wert  speaking  truth,"  interrupted  Men- 
tezufis,  "even  if  the  prince  wished  to  go  to  Nineveh,  he  will 
not  go." 

"But  who  will  detain  him  when  he  is  the  pharaoh?  " 

"We." 

"Ye?  ye?  Ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  Sargon.  "Ye  think 
always  that  that  young  man  does  not  feel  this  treaty.  But 
I  —  but  I  —  ha!  ha!  ha!  I  will  let  the  skin  be  torn  from  me, 
and  my  body  be  impaled  if  he  does  not  know  everything." 

"Would  the  Phoenicians  be  so  quiet  if  they  possessed  not 
the  certainty  that  your  young  lion  of  Egypt  would  shield  them 
before  the  bull  of  Assyria?  " 

Mentezufis  and  Mefres  looked  at  each  other  stealthily.  The 
genius  of  the  barbarian  almost  terrified  them ;  he  had  given 
bold  utterance  to  that  which  they  had  not  thought  of.  What 
would  the  result  be,  indeed,  if  the  heir  had  divined  their  plans 
and  wished  to  cross  them? 

But  Istubar,  silent  thus  far,  rescued  them  from  momentary 
trouble. 

"Sargon,"  said  he,  "thou  art  interfering  in  affairs  not  thy 
own.  Thy  duty  is  to  conclude  with  Egypt  a  treaty  of  the  kind 
that  our  lord  wishes.  But  what  the  heir  knows  or  does  not 
know,  what  he  will  do  or  will  not  do,  is  not  thy  affair,  since 
the  supreme,  eternally  existent  priestly  council  assures  us  that 
the  treaty  will  be  executed.  In  what  way  it  will  be  executed 
is  not  a  question  for  our  heads." 

The  dry  tone  with  which  Istubar  declared  this  calmed  the 
riotous  joy  of  the  ambassador.  He  nodded  and  muttered,  — 

"A  pity  for  the  man  in  that  case!  He  is  a  grand  warrior, 
and  magnanimous." 


326  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 


CHAPTER   XXXVII 

AFTER  their  visit  to  Sargon  the  two  holy  men,  Mentezufis 
and  Mefres,  when  they  had  concealed  themselves  care 
fully  with  their  burnouses,  returned  home,  meditating  deeply. 

"Who  knows,"  said  Mentezufis,  "that  the  view  of  that 
drunken  Sargon  concerning  our  prince  is  not  the  right  one?" 

"In  that  case  Is tu bar's  view  is  still  more  correct,"  an 
swered  Mefres,  decidedly. 

"Still,  let  us  not  be  too  hasty.  We  should  examine  the 
prince  first,"  remarked  Mentezufis. 

"Let  us  do  so." 

"In  fact,  both  priests  went  to  the  heir  next  morning  with 
very  serious  faces,  and  asked  for  a  confidential  talk  with  him. 

"What  has  happened?"  inquired  the  prince.  "Has  his 
worthiness  Sargon  gone  on  some  new  night  embassy?" 

"Alas!  the  question  for  us  is  not  of  Sargon,"  answered 
Mefres.  "But  reports  are  current  among  people  that  thou, 
most  worthy  lord,  art  maintaining  relations  continually  with 
unbelieving  Phoenicians." 

From  these  words  the  prince  divined  why  the  two  prophets 
had  made  the  visit,  and  the  blood  boiled  in  him.  But  he  saw 
at  once  that  this  was  the  beginning  of  a  play  between  the 
priests  and  him,  and,  as  became  the  son  of  a  pharaoh,  he 
mastered  himself  in  one  instant.  His  face  assumed  an  ex 
pression  of  innocent  curiosity. 

"The  Phoenicians  are  dangerous,  born  enemies  of  Egypt," 
said  Mefres. 

The  heir  smiled. 

"Holy  fathers,  if  ye  would  lend  me  money,  and  if  ye  had 
beautiful  maidens  in  your  temples,  I  should  see  you  oftener. 
But  as  things  are,  I  must  be  friendly  with  Phoenicians." 

"Men  say,  Erpatr,  that  thou  dost  visit  that  Phoenician 
woman  during  night  hours." 

"  I  must  till  the  girl  gains  wit  and  moves  to  my  house.  But 
have  no  fear,  I  go  with  a  sword;  and  if  any  man  should  bar 
the  way  to  me  —  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  327 

"But  through  that  Phoenician  woman  thou  hast  conceived 
repulsion  for  King  Assar's  envoy." 

"Not  through  her  by  any  means,  but  because  Sargon  smells 
of  tallow.  But  whither  does  this  lead  ?  Ye,  holy  fathers,  are 
not  overseers  of  my  women;  I  think  that  the  worthy  Sargon 
has  not  committed  his  to  you.  What  is  your  desire?" 

Mefres  was  so  confused  that  blushes  appeared  on  his  shaven 
forehead. 

"It  is  true,  worthiness,"  answered  he,  "thy  love  affairs  and 
the  methods  therein  do  not  pertain  to  us.  But  there  is  a  worse 
thing,  — people  are  astonished  that  the  cunning  Hiram  lent  thee 
a  hundred  talents  with  such  readiness,  even  without  a  pledge." 

The  prince's  lips  quivered,  but  again  he  answered  quietly,  — 

"It  is  no  fault  of  mine  that  Hiram  has  more  trust  in  my 
words  than  have  rich  Egyptians!  He  knows  that  I  would 
rather  yield  the  arms  which  I  inherit  from  my  grandfather 
than  fail  to  pay  the  money  due  him.  It  seems  to  me  that  he 
must  be  at  rest  concerning  interest,  since  he  has  not  mentioned 
it.  I  do  not  think  of  hiding  from  you,  holy  fathers,  that  the 
Phoenicians  are  more  dextrous  than  Egyptians.  Our  wealthy 
men  would  make  sour  faces  before  lending  me  one  hundred 
talents ;  they  would  groan,  make  me  wait  a  month,  and  at  last 
demand  immense  pledges  and  a  high  rate  of  interest.  But 
Phoenicians  know  the  hearts  of  princes  better;  they  give  us 
money  even  without  a  judge  or  witnesses." 

The  high  priest  was  so  irritated  by  this  quiet  banter  that  he 
pressed  his  lips  together  and  was  silent.  Mentezufis  rescued 
him  by  asking  quickly,  — 

"What  wouldst  thou  say,  worthiness,  were  we  to  make  a 
treaty  with  Assyria,  yielding  northern  Asia  and  Phoenicia?" 

While  asking  this  question,  he  had  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
face  of  the  heir.  But  Rameses  answered  him  with  perfect 
calmness,  — 

"I  should  say  that  only  traitors  could  persuade  the  pharaoh 
to  make  such  a  treaty." 

Both  priests  started  up.  Mefres  raised  his  hands ;  Mente 
zufis  clinched  his  fist. 

"But  if  danger  to  the  state  demanded  it?"  insisted 
Mentezufis. 


328  THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST 

uWhat  do  ye  wish  of  me?"  burst  out  the  prince.  "Ye  in 
terfere  with  my  debts  and  women,  ye  surround  me  with  spies, 
ye  dare  reproach  me,  and  fiow  ye  give  me  some  sort  of  traitor 
ous  queries.  Now  I  will  tell  you:  I,  if  ye  were  to  poison  me, 
would  not  sign  a  treaty  like  the  one  ye  mention.  Luckily  that 
does  not  depend  on  me,  but  on  his  holiness,  whose  will  we 
must  all  obey." 

"What  wouldst  thou  do,  then,  wert  thou  the  pharaoh?" 

"What  the  honor  and  the  profit  of  the  state  demanded." 

"Of  that  I  doubt  not,"  said  Mentezufis.  "But  what  dost 
thou  consider  the  profit  of  the  state?  Where  are  we  to  look 
for  indications?  " 

"Why  is  the  supreme  council  in  existence?  "  asked  Rameses, 
with  feigned  anger  this  time.  "Ye  say  this  council  is  made 
up  of  all  the  great  sages.  In  that  case  let  them  take  on  them 
selves  responsibility  for  a  treaty  which  I  should  look  on  as  a 
shame  and  as  destruction/' 

"Whence  dost  thou  know,  worthiness,  that  thy  godlike  father 
would  not  act  in  just  such  a  manner? " 

"Why  ask  me,  then,  of  this  matter?  What  investigation  is 
this?  Who  gives  you  the  right  to  pry  into  my  heart? " 

Rameses  feigned  to  be  so  mightily  indignant  that  the  priests 
were  satisfied. 

"Thou  speakest,  prince,"  said  Mefres,  "as  becomes  a  good 
Egyptian.  Such  a  treaty  would  pain  us,  too;  but  danger  to 
the  state  forces  men  to  yield  temporarily  to  circumstances." 

"What  forces  you  to  yield?"  cried  the  prince.  "Have  we 
lost  a  great  battle,  or  have  we  no  army?" 

"The  oarsmen  on  the  boat  in  which  Egypt  is  sailing  through 
the  river  of  eternity  are  gods,"  replied  Mefres,  with  solem 
nity;  "but  the  steersman  is  the  Highest  Lord  of  existence. 
The  oarsmen  stop  frequently,  or  turn  the  boat  so  as  to  avoid 
dangerous  eddies  which  we  do  not  even  notice.  In  such  cases 
we  need  only  patience  and  obedience,  for  which,  later  or  ear 
lier,  a  liberal  reward  will  meet  us,  surpassing  all  that  mortal 
man  can  imagine." 

After  this  statement  the  priests  took  farewell.  They  were 
full  of  hope  that  the  prince,  though  angry  because  of  the 
treaty,  would  not  break  it,  and  would  assure  to  Egypt  the  time 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  329 

of  rest  which  she  needed.  After  their  departure  the  prince 
called  his  adjutant.  When  alone  with  Tutinosis,  his  long- 
restrained  auger  and  sorrow  burst  forth.  He  threw  himself 
on  a  couch;  he  writhed  like  a  serpent,  he  struck  his  head  with 
his  fists,  and  shed  tears  even. 

The  frightened  Tutinosis  waited  till  the  access  of  rage  had 
subsided;  then  he  gave  Rameses  wine  and  water,  and  fumed 
him  with  calming  perfumes;  finally  he  sat  near  his  lord  and 
inquired  the  cause  of  this  unmanly  outburst. 

"Sit  here,"  said  the  prince,  without  rising.  "Knowest  thou, 
I  am  to-day  convinced  that  our  priests  have  concluded  an  in 
famous  treaty  with  Assyria;  without  war,  without  demands 
even  from  the  other  side!  Canst  thou  imagine  what  we  are 
losing?  " 

"Dagon  told  me  that  the  Assyrians  wished  to  take  Phoeni 
cia.  But  the  Phoenicians  are  now  less  alarmed,  for  King 
Assar  has  a  war  on  the  northeastern  boundaries.  A  very 
valiant  and  numerous  people  inhabit  that  region;  hence  it  is 
unknown  what  the  end  of  this  affair  may  be.  The  Phoenicians 
will  have  peace  for  a  couple  of  years  in  every  case,  —  time  in 
which  to  prepare  defence  and  find  allies  —  " 

The  prince  waved  his  hand  impatiently. 

"See,"  said  he,  interrupting  Tutinosis,  "even  Phoenicia  is 
arming  her  owh  people,  and  perhaps  all  the  neighbors  who 
surround  her;  in  every  case,  we  lose  the  unpaid  tribute  of 
Asia,  which  reaches  —  hast  thou  heard  the  like?  —  more 
than  a  hundred  thousand  talents." 

"A  hundred  thousand  talents,"  repeated  the  prince.  "O 
gods!  but  such  a  sum  would  fill  the  treasury  of  the  pharaoh. 
And  were  we  to  attack  Assyria  at  the  right  season,  in  Nineveh 
alone,  in  the  single  palace  of  Assar,  we  should  find  inexhaus 
tible  treasures.  Think  how  many  slaves  we  could  take,  — 
half  a  million  —  a  million,  —  people  of  gigantic  strength,  and 
so  wild  that  captivity  in  Egypt  with  the  hardest  labor  on 
canals  or  in  quarries  would  seem  play  to  them.  The  fertility 
of  the  land  would  be  increased ;  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
our  people,  now  wretched,  would  rest,  and  before  the  last 
Assyrian  slave  had  died,  the  state  would  regain  its  ancient 
might  and  well-being.  And  the  priests  are  destroying  all 


330  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

this  by  the  aid  of  a  few  silver  tablets,  and  a  few  bricks  marked 
with  arrow-headed  signs  understood  by  no  Egyptian." 

When  he  had  heard  the  complaints  of  the  prince,  Tutmosis 
rose  from  the  armchair  and  looked  carefully  through  the  ad 
joining  chambers  to  see  if  some  one  in  them  wrere  listening ; 
then  he  sat  down  again  near  Rameses,  and  whispered,  — 

4 'Be  of  good  heart,  lord.  As  far  as  I  know,  the  entire  aris 
tocracy,  all  the  nomarchs,  all  the  higher  officers  have  heard 
something  of  this  treaty  and  are  indignant.  Only  give  the 
sign  and  we  will  break  these  brick  treaties  on  the  head  of 
Sargon,  even  on  the  head  of  King  Assar." 

uBut  that  would  be  rebellion  against  his  holiness,"  replied 
the  prince,  also  in  a  whisper. 

Tutmosis  put  on  a  sad  face. 

"I  should  not  like,"  said  he,  "to  make  thy  heart  bleed,  but 
—  thy  father,  who  is  equal  to  the  highest  god,  has  a  grievous 
illness." 

"That  is  not  true  !  "  said  the  prince,  springing  up. 

"It  is  true;  but  let  not  people  see  that  thou  knowest  this. 
His  holiness  is  greatly  wearied  by  his  stay  on  earth,  and 
desires  to  leave  it.  But  the  priests  hold  him  back,  and  do 
not  summon  thee  to  Memphis,  so  that  the  treaty  with  Assyria 
may  be  signed  without  opposition." 

"But  they  are  traitors,  traitors!"  whispe'red  the  enraged 
prince. 

"Therefore  thou  wilt  have  no  difficulty  in  breaking  the  treaty 
when  thou  shalt  inherit  power  after  thy  father,  —  may  he  live 
through  eternity!" 

Rameses  thought  awhile. 

"It  is  easier,"  said  he,  "to  sign  a  treaty  than  to  break  it." 

"It  is  easy  also  to  break  a  treaty,"  laughed  Tutmosis. 
"Are  there  not  in  Asia  unorganized  races  which  attack  our 
boundaries?  Does  not  the  godlike  Nitager  stand  on  guard 
with  his  army  to  repulse  them  and  carry  war  into  their  coun 
tries?  Dost  thou  suppose  that  Egypt  will  not  find  armed  men 
and  treasures  for  the  war?  We  will  go,  all  of  us,  for  each 
man  can  gain  something,  and  in  some  way  make  his  life  in 
dependent.  Treasures  are  lying  in  the  temples  —  but  the 
labyrinth  —  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  331 

"Who  will  take  them  from  the  labyrinth?"  asked  the 
prince,  doubtingly. 

"Who?  Any  nomarch,  any  officer,  any  noble  will  take  them 
if  he  has  a  command  from  the  pharaoh,  and  —  the  minor 
priests  will  show  the  way  to  secret  places." 

"They  would  not  dare  to  do  so.  The  punishment  of  the 
gods  —  " 

Tutmosis  waved  his  hand  contemptuously. 

"But  are  we  slaves  or  shepherds,  to  fear  gods  whom  Greeks 
and  Pho3iiicians  revile,  and  whom  any  mercenary  warrior  will 
insult  and  go  unpunished?  " 

"The  priests  have  invented  silly  tales  about  gods, — tales 
to  which  they  themselves  attach  no  credit.  Thou  knowest 
that  they  recognize  only  the  One  in  temples.  They  perform 
miracles,  too,  at  which  they  laugh. 

"Only  the  lowest  people  strike  the  earth  with  their  fore 
heads  before  statues  in  the  old  way.  Even  working  women 
have  doubts  now  about  the  all-might  of  Osiris,  Set,  and  Horus; 
the  scribes  cheat  the  gods  in  accounts,  and  the  priests  use 
them  as  a  lock  and  chain  to  secure  their  treasures." 

"Oho!"  continued  Tutmosis;  "the  days  have  passed  when 
all  Egypt  believed  in  everything  announced  from  temples.  At 
present  we  insult  the  Phoenician  gods,  the  Phoenicians  insult 
our  gods,  and  no  thunderbolt  strikes  any  man  of  us." 

The  viceroy  looked  carefully  at  Tutmosis. 

"How  did  such  thoughts  come  to  thy  head?"  inquired  he. 
"But  it  is  not  so  long  ago  that  thou  wouldst  pale  at  the  very 
mention  of  the  priesthood." 

"Yes,  because  I  felt  alone.  But  to-day,  after  I  have  seen 
that  all  the  nobles  understand  as  I,  I  feel  encouraged." 

"But  who  told  thee  and  the  nobles  of  that  treaty  with 
Assyria?  " 

"Dagon  and  other  Phoenicians,"  answered  Tutmosis.  "They 
even  said  that  when  the  time  came  they  would  rouse  Asiatic 
races  to  rebellion,  so  that  our  troops  might  have  a  pretext  to 
cross  the  boundaries,  and  when  once  on  the  road  to  Nineveh, 
the  Phosnicians  and  their  allies  would  join  us.  And  thy  army 
would  be  larger  than  that  which  Rameses  the  Great  had 
behind  him." 


332  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

This  zeal  of  the  Phoenicians  did  not  please  the  heir,  but  he 
was  silent  on  that  subject. 

"But  what  will  happen  if  the  priests  learn  of  your  conversa 
tions?"  inquired  he.  "None  of  you  will  escape  death,  be 
sure  of  that." 

"They  will  learn  nothing,"  replied  Tutmosis,  joyfully. 
"They  trust  too  much  in  their  power,  they  pay  their  spies 
badly,  and  have  disgusted  all  'Egypt  with  their  pride  and 
rapacity.  Moreover,  the  aristocracy,  the  army,  the  scribes, 
the  laborers,  even  the  minor  priests  are  only  waiting  for  the 
signal  to  attack  the  temples,  take  out  the  treasures,  and  lay 
them  at  the  feet  of  the  pharaoh.  When  their  treasures  fail, 
all  their  power  will  be  lost  to  the  holy  fathers.  They  will 
cease  even  to  work  miracles,  for  to  work  them  gold  rings  are 
needed." 

The  prince  turned  conversation  to  other  subjects  and  gave 
Tutmosis  the  sign  of  withdrawal.  When  alone,  he  began  to 
meditate. 

He  would  have  been  enchanted  at  the  hostile  disposition  of 
the  nobles  toward  the  priests,  and  the  warlike  instincts  of  the 
higher  classes,  if  the  enthusiasm  had  not  broken  out  so  sud 
denly,  and  if  Phoenicians  were  not  concealed  behind  it.  This 
enjoined  caution,  for  he  understood  that  in  the  affairs  of 
Egypt  it  was  better  to  trust  the  patriotism  of  priests  than  the 
friendship  of  Phoenicians.  He  recalled,  however,  his  father's 
words,  that  Phoanicians  were  truth-speaking  and  faithful  when 
ever  truth  was  in  their  interest.  Beyond  doubt  the  Phoe 
nicians  had  a  great  interest  in  not  falling  under  control  of 
Assyria.  And  it  was  possible  to  depend  on  them  as  allies 
in  case  of  war,  for  the  defeat  of  Egypt  would  injure,  first  of 
all,  Phoenicia. 

On  the  other  hand,  Rameses  did  not  admit  that  Egyptian 
priests,  even  when  concluding  such  a  harmful  treaty  with  As 
syria,  thought  of  treason.  No,  they  were  not  traitors,  they 
were  slothful  dignitaries.  Peace  agreed  with  them,  for  dur 
ing  peace  their  treasures  grew,  and  they  increased  their  in 
fluence.  They  did  not  wish  for  war,  since  war  would  raise 
the  pharaoh's  power,  and  impose  on  them  a  grievous  outlay. 

So  the  young  prince,  despite  his  inexperience,  understood 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  333 

that  he  must  be  cautious,  that  he  must  not  hasten,  that  he 
must  not  condemn,  but  also  that  he  must  not  trust  too  much. 
He  had  decided  on  war  with  Assyria,  not  because  the  nobles 
and  the  pharaoh  desired  it,  but  because  Egypt  needed  slaves 
and  also  treasures. 

But  in  making  war  he  wished  to  make  it  with  judgment. 
He  wished  to  bring  the  priestly  order  to  it  gradually,  and  only 
in  case  of  opposition  to  crush  that  order  through  the  nobles 
and  the  army. 

And  just  when  the  holy  Mefres  and  Mentezufis  were  jeering 
at  the  predictions  of  Sargon,  who  said  that  the  heir  would  not 
yield  to  the  priests  but  force  them  to  obedience,  the  prince 
had  a  plan  to  subject  them.  And  he  saw  what  power  he  pos 
sessed  for  that  purpose.  The  moment  to  begin  the  war  and 
the  means  of  waging  it  he  left  to  the  future. 

"Time  will  bring  the  best  counsels,"  said  he  to  himself. 

He  was  calm  and  satisfied,  like  a  man  who  after  long  hesi 
tation  knows  what  he  must  do,  and  has  faith  in  his  own 
abilities.  So  then,  to  free  himself  of  even  the  traces  of  his 
recent  indignation,  he  went  to  Sarah.  Amusement  with 
his  little  son  always  calmed  him,  and  filled  his  heart  with 
serenity. 

He  passed  the  garden,  entered  Sarah's  villa,  and  found  her 
in  tears  again. 

"Oh,  Sarah!"  cried  he,  "if  the  Nile  were  in  thy  bosom 
thou  wouldst  weep  it  all  away." 

"I  will  not  weep  any  longer,"  said  she;  but  a  more  abun 
dant  stream  flowed  from  her  eyes. 

"What  is  this?"  asked  the  prince;  "or  hast  thou  brought 
in  some  witch  again  who  frightens  thee  with  Phoenician 
women  ?  " 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  Phoenician  women,  but  of  Phoenicia," 
said  Sarah;  "thou  knowest  not,  lord,  what  bad  people  the 
Phoenicians  are." 

"Do  they  burn  children?"  laughed  Rameses. 

"Thou  thinkest  that  they  do  not?"  asked  she,  looking  at 
him  with  great  eyes. 

"A  fable!  I  know,  besides,  from  Prince  Hiram,  that  that 
is  a  fable." 

*&        . 

OF 


334  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

4 'Hi ram!  "  cried  Sarah,  "Hiram!  but  he  is  the  most  wicked 
of  all!  Ask  my  father,  and  he  will  tell  thee  how  Hiram  entices 
young  girls  of  distant  countries  to  his  ships,  and  raising  the 
sails  takes  away  the  unfortunates  to  sell  them.  Even  we  had 
a  bright-haired  slave  girl  stolen  by  Hiram.  She  became  in 
sane  from  sorrow  for  her  country.  But  she  could  not  even  say 
where  her  country  was ;  and  she  died.  Such  is  Hiram,  such 
is  that  vile  Dagon,  and  all  those  wretches." 

"Perhaps;  but  how  does  this  concern  us?"  inquired 
Rameses. 

"Very  much.  Thou,  O  lord,  art  listening  to  Phoenician 
counsels;  but  our  Jews  have  learned  that  Phoenicia  wants  to 
raise  a  war  between  Egypt  and  Assyria.  Even  their  first 
bankers  and  merchants  have  bound  themselves  by  dreadful 
oaths  to  raise  it." 

"Why  should  they  want  war?"  inquired  the  prince,  with 
apparent  indifference. 

"Because  they  will  furnish  arms  to  you  and  to  Assyrians; 
they  will  furnish,  also,  supplies  and  information,  and  for  every 
thing  they  furnish  they  will  make  you  pay  ten  prices.  They 
will  plunder  the  dead  and  wounded  of  both  armies.  They  will 
buy  slaves  from  your  warriors  and  from  the  Assyrians.  Is 
that  little?  Egypt  and  Assyria  will  ruin  themselves,  but  the 
Pho3nicians  will  build  up  new  storehouses  with  wealth  from 
both  sides !  " 

"Who  explained  such  wisdom  to  thee?"  asked  the  prince, 
smiling. 

"Do  I  not  hear  my  father  and  our  relatives  and  friends 
whispering  of  this,  while  they  look  around  in  dread  lest  some 
one  may  hear  what  they  are  saying?  Besides,  do  I  not  know 
the  Phoanicians?  They  lie  prostrate  before  thee,  but  thou  dost 
not  note  their  deceitful  looks;  often  have  I  seen  their  eyes 
green  with  greed  and  yellow  from  anger.  O  lord,  guard  thy 
self  from  Phoenicians  as  from  venomous  serpents." 

Rameses  looked  at  Sarah,  and  involuntarily  he  compared  her 
sincere  love  with  the  calculations  of  the  Phoenician  priestess, 
her  outbursts  of  tenderness  with  the  treacherous  coldness  of 
Kama. 

"Indeed,"  thought  he,  "the  Phoenicians  are  poisonous  rep- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  335 

tiles.  But  if  Rameses  the  Great  used  a  lion  in  war,  why 
should  I  not  use  a  serpent  against  the  enemies  of  Egypt?" 

And  the  more  plastically  he  pictured  to  himself  the  perver 
sity  of  Kama,  the  more  did  he  desire  her.  At  times  heroic 
souls  seek  out  danger. 

He  took  farewell  of  Sarah,  and  suddenly,  it  is  unknown  for 
what  reason,  he  remembered  that  Sargon  had  suspected  him 
of  taking  part  in  the  attack  on  his  person. 

The  prince  struck  his  forehead. 

"Did  that  second  self  of  mine,"  thought  he,  "arrange  the 
attack  on  the  ambassador?  But  if  he  did,  who  persuaded 
him?  Was  it  Phoenicians?  But  if  they  wished  to  connect 
my  person  with  such  a  vile  business?  Sarah  saj^s,  justly, 
that  they  are  scoundrels  against  whom  I  should  guard  myself 
always." 

Straightway  anger  rose  in  him,  and  he  determined  to  settle 
the  question.  Since  evening  was  just  coming,  Rameses,  with 
out  going  home,  went  to  Kama. 

It  concerned  him  little  that  he  might  be  recognized;  besides, 
in  case  of  need,  he  had  a  sword  on  his  person. 

There  was  light  in  the  villa  of  the  priestess,  but  there  was 
no  servant  at  the  entrance. 

"Thus  far,"  thought  he,  "Kama  has  sent  away  her  servants 
when  I  was  to  come.  Had  she  a  feeling  that  I  would  come 
to-day,  or  will  she  receive  a  more  fortunate  lover?" 

He  ascended  one  story,  stood  before  the  chamber  of  the 
priestess,  and  pushed  aside  the  curtain  quickly.  In  the  cham 
ber  were  Kama  and  Hiram;  they  were  whispering. 

"Oh,  I  come  at  the  wrong  time!"  said  Rameses,  laughing. 
"Well,  prince,  art  thou,  too,  paying  court  to  a  woman  who 
cannot  be  gracious  to  men  unless  death  be  the  penalty?" 

Hiram  and  the  priestess  sprang  from  their  seats. 

"Thou  wert  forewarned  by  some  good  spirit  that  we  were 
speaking  of  thee,  that  is  clear,"  said  the  Phoenician,  bowing. 

"Are  ye  preparing  some  surprise  for  me?"  inquired  the 
heir. 

"Perhaps.  Who  can  tell?"  answered  Kama,  with  a  chal 
lenging  expression. 

"  May  those  who  in  future  wish  to  surprise  me  not  expose 


336  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

their  own  necks  to  the  axe  or  the  halter;  if  they  do,  they  will 
surprise  themselves  more  than  me." 

The  smile  grew  cold  on  Kama's  half-open  lips;  Hiram, 
now  pale,  answered  humbly,  - 

"How  have  we  earned  the  anger  of  our  lord  and  guardian?" 

"I  would  know  the  truth,"  said  Rameses,  sitting  down  and 
looking  threateningly  at  Hiram.  "  I  would  know  who  arranged 
an  attack  on  the  Assyrian  ambassador,  and  associated  in  that 
villainy  a  man  resembling  me  as  much  as  my  two  hands  re 
semble  each  other?" 

"Seest,  Kama,"  said  the  frightened  Hiram,  "I  told  thee  that 
intimacy  with  that  ruffian   would   bring   great  misfortune  — 
And  here  it  is!     We  have  not  waited  long  to  see  it." 

The  priestess  fell  at  the  prince's  feet. 

"I  will  tell  all,"  cried  she,  groaning;  "only  cast  from  thy 
heart,  lord,  anger  against  Phoenicians.  Slay  me,  imprison 
me,  but  be  not  angry  at  Phoenicians." 

"Who  attacked  Sargon?" 

"Lykon,  the  Greek,  who  sings  in  our  temples,"  said  the 
priestess,  still  kneeling. 

"Aha!  it  was  he,  then,  who  was  singing  outside  thy  house, 
and  he  resembles  me  greatly?" 

Hiram  bent  his  head  and  placed  his  hand  on  his  heart. 

"We,  lord,  have  paid  that  man  bountifully  because  he  is  so 
like  thee.  We  thought  that  his  figure  might  serve  thee  should 
the  need  come." 

"And  it  has,"  interrupted  the  prince.  "Where  is  he?  I 
wish  to  see  this  perfect  singer,  this  living  picture  of  myself." 

Hiram  held  his  hands  apart. 

"The  scoundrel  has  fled,  but  we  will  find  him,"  replied  he, 
"unless  he  turns  into  a  fly  or  an  earthworm." 

"But  thou  wilt  forgive  me,  lord?"  whispered  the  priestess, 
leaning  on  the  knees  of  the  prince. 

"Much  is  forgiven  women,"  said  Rameses. 

"And  ye  will  not  take  vengeance  on  me?"  asked  she  of 
Hiram,  with  fear. 

"  Phoenicia,"  replied  the  old  man,  deliberately  and  with 
emphasis,  "  forgives  the  greatest  offence  to  that  person  who 
possesses  the  favor  of  our  lord  Rameses,  —  may  he  live  through 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  337 

eternity!  As  to  Lykon,"  added  he,  turning  to  the  heir, 
"thou  wilt  have  him,  dead  or  living." 

Hiram  made  a  profound  obeisance  and  went  from  the 
chamber,  leaving  the  prince  with  the  priestess. 

The  blood  rushed  to  Rameses'  head ;  he  embraced  the  kneel 
ing  Kama,  and  asked,  — 

' '  Hast  thou  heard  the  words  of  the  worthy  Hiram  ?  Phoeni 
cia  forgives  thee  the  greatest  offence!  That  man  is  faithful 
to  me  indeed.  And  if  he  has  said  that,  what  answer  wilt  thou 
find?" 

Kama  kissed  his  hands,  whispering,  — 

"Thou  hast  won  me  —  I  am  thy  slave.  But  leave  me  in 
peace  to-day,  respect  the  house  which  belongs  to  Astaroth." 

"  Then  thou  wilt  remove  to  my  palace?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"  O  gods,  what  hast  thou  said?  Since  the  sun  first  rose  and 
set,  no  priestess  of  As —  But  this  is  difficult!  Phoenicia, 
lord,  gives  thee  a  proof  of  attachment  and  honor  such  as  no 
son  of  hers  has  received  at  any  time." 

"•Then?—   "  interrupted  the  prince. 

4 'But  not  to-day,  and  not  here,"  implored  Kama. 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII 

LEARNING  from  Hiram  that   the  Phoenicians  had  given 
him  the   priestess,  Rameses  wished  to  have  her  in  his 
house  at  the  earliest,  not  because  he  could  not  live  without  her, 
but  because  she  had  become  for  him  a  novelty. 

Kama  delayed  her  coming ;  she  implored  the  prince  to  leave 
her  in  peace  till  the  inflow  of  pilgrims  diminished,  and  above  all 
till  the  most  noted  among  them  should  go  from  Pi-Bast.  Were 
she  to  become  his  favorite  during  their  presence,  the  income  of 
the  temple  might  decrease  and  danger  threaten  the  priestess. 

"  Our  sages  and  great  men,"  said  she  to  Rameses,  "would 
forgive  me.  But  the  common  people  would  call  the  vengeance 
of  the  gods  on  my  head,  and  thou,  lord,  knowest  that  the  gods 
have  long  hands." 

"May  they  not  lose  those  hands  in  thrusting  them  under  my 
roof,"  said  Rameses. 

22 


338  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

But  he  did  not  insist  greatly,  as  his  attention  was  much 
occupied  at  that  juncture. 

The  Assyrian  ambassadors,  Sargon  and  Istubar,  had  gone  to 
Memphis  to  put  their  names  to  the  treaty.  At  the  same  time 
the  pharaoh  had  summoned  Rameses  to  give  a  report  of  his 
journey. 

The  prince  commanded  his  scribes  to  write  accurately  of 
all  that  had  happened  from  the  time  of  leaving  Memphis ;  hence 
the  review  of  artisans,  the  visits  to  fields  and  factories,  the 
conversations  with  riomarchs  and  officials.  To  present  the 
report  he  appointed  Tutmosis. 

"Thou  wilt  be  heart  and  lips  for  me  before  the  face  of  the 
pharaoh,"  said  the  prince  to  him,  "  and  this  is  what  thou  must 
do  there. 

"  When  the  most  worthy  Herhor  asks  what,  to  my  thinking, 
causes  the  poverty  of  Egypt  and  the  treasury,  tell  the  minister 
to  turn  to  his  assistant,  Pentuer,  and  he  will  explain  my 
views  in  the  same  way  that  he  did  his  own  in  the  temple  of 
Hator. 

"  When  Herhor  wishes  to  know  my  opinion  of  a  treaty  with 
Assyria,  answer  that  my  duty  is  to  carry  out  the  commands  of 
my  master." 

Tutmosis  nodded  in  sign  that  he  comprehended. 

"But,"  continued  the  heir,  "when  thou  shalt  stand  in  the 
presence  of  my  father,  —  may  he  live  through  eternity !  —  and 
convince  thyself  that  no  one  is  listening,  fall  at  his  feet  in 
my  name,  and  say,  — 

"  Our  lord,  thy  son  and  servant,  the  worthy  Rameses,  to 
whom  thou  hast  given  life  and  power,  says  the  following,  — 

"  '  The  cause  of  Egypt's  suffering  is  the  loss  of  fertile  lands 
taken  by  the  desert,  and  the  loss  of  men  who  die  from  want 
and  hard  labor.  But  know,  our  lord,  that  the  damage  caused 
thy  treasury  by  priests  is  no  less  than  that  wrought  by  death 
and  the  desert ;  for  not  only  are  the  temples  filled  with  gold 
and  jewels,  which  would  suffice  to  pay  our  debts  entirely,  but 
the  holy  fathers  and  the  prophets  have  the  best  lands,  the  best 
slaves  and  laborers,  and  lands  far  greater  in  extent  than  those 
of  the  divine  pharaoh. 

"  '  Thy  son  and  slave,  Rameses,  says  this  to  thee,  —  he  who 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  339 

all  the  time  of  his  journey  had  his  eyes  open  like  a  fish,  and 
his  ears  set  forward  like  an  ass  which  is  watching.' " 

The  prince  stopped.     Tutmosis  repeated  the  words  mentally. 

"  If,"  continued  the  viceroy,  "  his  holiness  asks  for  my  opin 
ion  of  the  Assyrians,  fall  on  thy  face  and  answer,  — 

"  '  Thy  servant  Rameses,  if  thou  permit,  makes  bold  to  say 
that  the  Assyrians  are  strong  and  large  men,  and  have  perfect 
weapons ;  but  it  is  evident  that  they  have  bad  training.  At 
the  heels  of  Sargon  marched  the  best  Assyrian  warriors, 
archers,  axemen,  spearmen,  and  still  there  were  not  six  among 
them  who  could  march  in  line  warrior  fashion.  Besides  they 
carry  their  spears  crookedly,  their  swords  are  badly  hung,  they 
bear  their  axes  like  carpenters  or  butchers.  Their  clothing 
is  heavy,  their  rude  sandals  gall  their  feet,  and  their  shields, 
though  strong,  are  of  small  use,  for  the  men  are  awkward.'  ' 

4' Thou  speakest  truth,"  said  Tutmosis.  "I  have  noticed 
that,  and  I  have  heard  the  same  from  Egyptian  officers  who 
declare  that  Assyrian  troops,  like  those  which  we  saw  here, 
would  offer  less  resistance  than  the  hordes  of  Libya." 

"  Say  also  to  our  lord,  who  gives  us  life,  that  all  the  nobles 
and  the  Egyptian  army  are  indignant  at  the  mere  report  that 
Assyria  might  annex  Phoenicia.  Why,  Phoenicia  is  the  port  of 
Egypt,  and  the  Phoenicians  the  best  warriors  in  our  navy. 

"Say,  besides,  that  I  have  heard  from  Phoenicians  (of  this 
his  holiness  must  know  best  of  all)  that  Assyria  is  weak  at  the 
moment,  for  she  has  a  war  on  her  northern  and  eastern  boun 
daries  ;  all  western  Asia  is  arming  against  her.  Should  we 
attack  to-day,  we  could  win  immense  wealth,  and  take  multi 
tudes  of  captives  who  would  help  our  slaves  in  their  labor. 

-  "  But  say,  in  conclusion,  that  the  wisdom  of  my  father  excels 
that  of  all  men,  therefore  I  shall  do  whatsoever  he  commands, 
if  only  he  gives  not  Phoenicia  to  King  Assar ;  if  he  gives  it,  we 
are  ruined.  Phoenicia  is  the  bronze  door  of  our  treasure-house, 
and  where  is  the  man  who  would  yield  his  door  to  a  robber?  " 

Tutmosis  went  to  Memphis  in  the  month  Paofi  (July  and 
August). 

The  Nile  was  increasing  mightily  ;  hence  the  influx  of  Asiatic 
pilgrims  to  the  temple  of  Astaroth  diminished.  People  of  the 
place  betook  themselves  to  the  fields  to  gather  with  the  ut- 


340  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

most  speed  grapes,  flax,  and  a  certain  plant  which  furnished 
cotton. 

In  one  word,  the  neighborhood  grew  quiet,  and  the  gardens 
surrounding  the  temples  were  almost  deserted. 

At  that  time  Prince  Rameses,  relieved  from  amusements 
and  the  duties  of  the  state,  turned  to  his  love  affair  with  Kama. 
On  a  certain  day  he  had  a  secret  consultation  with  Hiram,  who 
at  his  command  gave  the  temple  of  Astaroth  twelve  talents  in 
gold,  a  statue  of  the  goddess  wonderfully  carved  out  of  mala 
chite,  fifty  cows  and  of  wheat  one  hundred  and  fifty  measures. 
That  was  such  a  generous  gift  that  the  high  priest  of  the  temple 
himself  came  to  Rameses  to  fall  prostrate  and  thank  him  for  the 
favor  which,  as  he  said,  people  who  loved  the  goddess  would 
remember  during  all  the  ages. 

Having  settled  with  the  temple,  the  prince  summoned  the 
chief  of  police  in  Pi-Bast  and  passed  a  long  hour  with  him. 
Because  of  this  the  whole  city  was  shaken  some  days  later 
under  the  influence  of  extraordinary  tidings :  Kama,  the  priest 
ess  of  Astaroth,  had  been  seized,  borne  away  and  lost,  like  a 
grain  of  sand  in  a  desert. 

This  unheard-of  event  occurred  under  the  following  condi 
tions  :  The  high  priest  of  the  temple  sent  Kama  to  the  town 
Sabue-Chetam  at  Lake  Menzaleh  with  offerings  for  the  chapel  of 
Astaroth  in  that  place.  To  avoid  summer  heat  and  secure  her 
self  against  curiosity  and  the  homage  of  people,  the  priestess 
journeyed  in  a  boat  and  during  night  hours.  Toward  morn 
ing,  when  the  three  weaned  rowers  were  dozing,  boats  manned 
by  Greeks  and  Hittites  pushed  out  suddenly  from  among  reeds 
at  the  shore,  surrounded  the  boat  bearing  Kama,  and  carried 
off  the  priestess.  The  attack  was  so  sudden  that  the  Phoeni 
cian  rowers  made  no  resistance.  The  strangers  gagged  Kama, 
evidently,  for  she  remained  silent.  The  Greeks  and  Hittites 
after  the  sacrilege  vanished  in  the  reeds,  to  sail  toward  the 
sea  afterward.  To  prevent  pursuit  they  sank  the  boat  which 
had  borne  the  priestess. 

Pi-Bast  was  as  excited  as  a  beehive.  People  talked  of 
nothing  else.  They  even  guessed  who  did  the  deed.  Some 
suspected  Sargon,  who  had  offered  Kama  the  title  of  wife  if 
she  would  leave  the  temple  and  remove  to  Nineveh.  Others 


THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST  341 

suspected  Lykon,  the  temple  singer,  who  long  had  burned  with 
passion  for  the  priestess.  He  was  moreover  rich  enough  to 
hire  Greek  slaves,  and  so  godless  that  he  would  not  hesitate  to 
snatch  away  a  priestess. 

A  Phoenician  council  of  the  richest  and  most  faithful  mem 
bers  was  summoned  to  the  temple.  The  council  resolved,  first 
of  all,  to  free  Kama  from  her  duties  as  priestess  and  remove 
from  her  the  curse  against  a  virgin  who  lost  her  innocence  in 
the  service  of  the  goddess. 

That  was  a  wise  and  pious  resolution,  for  if  some  one  had 
carried  off  the  priestess  and  deprived  her  of  sacredness  against 
her  will,  it  would  have  been  unjust  to  punish  her. 

A  couple  of  days  later  they  announced,  with  sound  of  trum 
pet,  to  worshippers  in  the  temple  that  the  priestess  Kama  was 
dead,  and  if  any  man  should  meet  a  woman  seeming  like  her  he 
would  have  no  right  to  seek  revenge  or  even  make  reproaches. 
The  priestess  had  not  left  the  goddess,  but  evil  spirits  had 
borne  her  off ;  for  this  they  would  be  punished. 

That  same  day  the  worthy  Hiram  visited  Rameses  and  gave 
him  in  a  gold  tube  a  parchment  furnished  with  a  number  of 
seals  of  priests  and  signatures  of  Phoenician  notables. 

That  was  the  decision  of  the  spiritual  court  of  Astaroth, 
which  released  Kama  from  her  vows  and  freed  her  from  the 
curse  if  she  would  renounce  the  name  which  she  had  borne 
while  priestess. 

The  prince  took  this  document  and  went  after  sundown  to  a 
certain  lone  villa  in  his  garden.  He  opened  the  door  in  some 
unknown  way  and  ascended  one  story  to  a  room  of  medium 
dimensions,  where  by  light  from  a  carved  lamp  in  which 
fragrant  olive  oil  was  burning,  he  saw  Kama. 

"  At  last!  "  cried  he,  giving  her  the  gold  tube.  "  Thou  hast 
everything  according  to  thy  wishes." 

The  Phoenician  woman  was  feverish ;  her  eyes  flashed.  She 
snatched  the  tube,  looked  at  it,  and  threw  it  on  the  floor. 

;t  Dost  think  this  gold?"  asked  she.  "  I  will  bet  my  neck 
lace  that  that  tube  is  copper,  and  only  covered  on  both  sides 
with  thin  strips  of  gold." 

"  Is  that  thy  way  of  greeting  me?"  inquired  the  astonished 
Rameses. 


342  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Yes,  for  I  know  my  brethren,"  said  she.  "They  counter 
feit  not  only  gold,  but  rubies  and  sapphires." 

"Woman,"  said  the  heir,  "  in  this  tube  is  thy  safety." 

"What  is  safety  to  me?  I  am  wearied  in  this  place,  and  I 
am  afraid.  I  have  sat  here  four  days  as  in  prison." 

"  Dost  thou  lack  anything?  " 

"  I  lack  air,  amusement,  laughter,  songs,  people.  O  venge 
ful  goddess,  how  harshly  thou  art  punishing !  " 

The  prince  listened  with  amazement.  In  that  mad  woman 
he  could  not  recognize  the  Kama  whom  he  had  seen  in  the 
temple,  that  woman  over  whose  person  had  floated  the  passion 
ate  song  of  the  Greek  Lykon. 

"  To-morrow,"  said  the  prince,  "  thou  canst  go  to  the  garden  ; 
and  when  we  visit  Memphis  or  Thebes,  thou  wilt  amuse  thyself 
as  never  in  thy  life  before.  Look  at  me.  Do  I  not  love  thee, 
and  is  not  the  honor  which  belongs  to  me  enough  for  a 
woman  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  she,  pouting,  "  but  thou  hadst  four  women 
before  me." 

"But  if  Hove  thee  best?" 

"  If  thou  love  me  best,  make  me  first,  put  me  in  the  palace 
which  that  Jewess  Sarah  occupies,  and  give  a  guard  to  me, 
not  to  her.  Before  the  statue  of  Astaroth  I  was  first.  Those 
who  paid  homage  to  the  goddess,  when  kneeling  before  her, 
looked  at  me.  But  here  what?  Troops  beat  drums  and  sound 
flutes;  officials  cross  their  hands  on  their  breasts,  and  incline 
their  heads  before  the  house  of  the  Jewess  — " 

"Before  my  first-born  son,"  interrupted  the  prince,  now 
impatient,  "  and  he  is  no  Jew." 

"  He  is  a  Jew!  "  screamed  Kama. 

Rameses  sprang  up. 

"Art  thou  mad?"  but  quieting  himself  quickly,  he  added, 
"Dost  thou  not  know  that  my  son  cannot  be  a  Jew — 

"  But  I  tell  thee  that  he  is  a  Jew!  "  cried  Kama,  beating  the 
table  with  her  fist.  "  He  is  a  Jew.  just  as  his  grandfather  is, 
just  as  his  uncles  are  ;  and  his  name  is  Isaac." 

"  What  hast  thon  said,  Phoenician  woman?  Dost  wish  that 
I  should  turn  thee  out?  " 

"  Turn  me  out  if  a  lie  has  gone  from  my  lips.     But  if  I  have 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  343 

spoken  truth,  tarn  out  that  woman  with  her  brat  and  give  me 
her  palace.  I  wish  and  deserve  to  be  first  in  thy  household. 
She  deceives  thee,  reviles  thee.  But,  I  for  thy  sake,  have 
deserted  my  goddess  and  exposed  myself  to  her  vengeance." 

"  Give  me  proofs  and  the  palace  will  be  thine.  No,  that  is 
false!"  said  Rameses.  "Sarah  would  not  permit  such  a 
crime.  My  first-born  son!" 

"  Isaac  —  Isaac!  "  cried  Kama.  "Go  to  her,  and  convince 
thyself." 

Rameses,  half  unconscious,  ran  out  from  Kama's  house  and 
turned  toward  Sarah's  villa.  Though  the  night  was  starry,  he 
lost  his  way  and  wandered  a  certain  time  through  the  garden. 
The  cool  air  sobered  him;  he  found  the  road  to  the  villa  and 
entered  almost  calmly. 

Though  the  hour  was  late,  they  were  awake  there.  Sarah 
with  her  own  hands  was  washing  swaddling-clothes  for  her 
son,  and  the  servants  were  passing  their  time  in  eating, 
drinking,  and  music.  When  Rameses,  pale  from  emotion, 
stood  on  the  threshold,  Sarah  cried  out,  but  soon  calmed 
herself. 

"Be  greeted,  lord,"  said  she,  wiping  her  wet  hands  and 
bending  to  his  feet. 

44  Sarah,  what  is  the  name  of  thy  son?  "  inquired  he. 

She  seized  her  head  in  terror. 

"  What  is  thy  son's  name?  "  repeated  he. 

"  But  thou  knowest,  lord,  that  it  is  Seti,"  answered  she,  with 
a  voice  almost  inaudible. 

"  Look  me  in  the  eyes." 

"  O  Jehovah !  "  whispered  Sarah. 

"  Thou  seest  that  thou  art  lying.  And  now  I  will  tell  thee, 
my  son,  the  son  of  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt,  is  called 
Isaac  —  and  he  is  a  Jew  —  a  low  Jew." 

"  O  God,  O  God  of  mercy  !  "  cried  Sarah,  throwing  herself 
at  his  feet. 

Rameses  did  not  raise  his  head  for  an  instant,  but  his  face 
was  gray. 

"I  was  forewarned,"  said  he,  "not  to  take  a  Jewess  to  my 
house.  I  was  disgusted  when  I  saw  thy  country  place  filled 
with  Jews;  but  I  kept  my  disgust  in  subjection,  for  I  trusted 


344  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

thee.  But  thou,  with  thy  Jews,  hast  stolen  my  son  from  me, 
thou  child  thief!" 

"The  priests  commanded  that  he  should  become  a  Jew," 
whispered  Sarah,  sobbing  at  the  feet  of  Rameses. 

"The  priests!     What  priests?  " 

"The  most  worthy  Herhor,  the  most  worthy  Mefres.  They 
said  that  it  must  be  so,  —  that  thy  son  would  become  the  first 
king  of  the  Jews." 

"The  priests?  Mefres?"  repeated  the  prince.  "King  of 
the  Jews?  But  I  have  told  thee  that  thy  son  would  become 
the  chief  of  my  archers,  my  secretary.  I  told  thee  this,  and 
thou,  wretched  woman,  didst  think  that  the  title  of  king  of  the 
Jews  was  equal  to  that  of  my  secretary  and  archer.  Mefres 
—  Herhor!  Thanks  to  the  gods  that  at  last  I  understand 
those  dignitaries  and  know  what  fate  they  are  preparing  for 
my  descendants." 

He  thought  awhile,  gnawing  his  lips.  Suddenly  he  called 
with  a  powerful  voice,  — 

"Ilei,  servants,  warriors!" 

The  room  was  filled  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye.  Sarah's  serv 
ing-women  came  in,  the  scribe  and  manager  of  the  house,  then 
the  slaves ;  finally,  a  few  warriors  with  an  officer. 

"Death! "  cried  Sarah,  with  a  piercing  voice. 

She  rushed  to  the  cradle,  seized  her  son,  and,  standing  in 
the  corner  of  the  room,  called  out,  — 

"Kill  me;  but  I  will  not  yield  my  son!  " 

Rameses  smiled. 

"Centurion,"  said  he  to  the  officer,  "take  that  woman  with 
her  child  and  conduct  her  to  the  building  where  my  household 
slaves  dwell.  That  Jewess  will  riot  be  mistress  here ;  she  is  to 
be  the  servant  of  her  who  takes  this  place. 

"And  thou,  steward,"  said  he,  turning  to  the  official,  "see 
that  the  Jewess  does  not  forget,  to-morrow  morning,  to  wash 
the  feet  of  her  mistress,  who  will  come  hither  directly.  If  this 
serving-woman  should  prove  stubborn,  she  is  to  receive  stripes 
at  command  of  her  mistress.  Conduct  the  woman  to  the  ser 
vants'  quarters." 

The  officer  and  steward  approached  Sarah,  but  stopped,  as 
they  dared  not  touch  her;  but  there  was  no  need  to  do  so. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST  345 

Sarah  wound  a  garment  around  the  puling  child,  and  left  the 
room,  whispering,  — 

"O  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  have  mercy  on  us!  " 

She  bowed  low  before  the  prince,  and  from  her  eyes  tears 
flowed  in  silence. 

While  she  was  still  in  the  antechamber,  Rameses  heard  her 
sweet  voice,  — 

"God  of  Abraham  —  Isa  —  " 

When  all  was  quiet,  the  viceroy  called  the  officer  and  steward. 

"Go  with  torches  to  the  house  among  the  fig-trees." 

"I  understand,"  replied  the  steward. 

"And  conduct  hither,  immediately,  the  woman  who  dwells 
there." 

"It  will  be  done." 

"Thenceforth  that  woman  will  be  thy  mistress  and  the 
mistress  of  Sarah;  the  Jewess  must  wash  the  feet  of  her  mis 
tress  every  morning,  pour  water  to  her,  and  hold  a  mirror  be 
fore  her.  That  is  my  will,  my  command." 

"It  shall  be  accomplished,"  said  the  steward. 

"And  to-morrow  morning  thou  wilt  tell  me  if  the  new  ser 
vant  is  stubborn." 

When  he  had  given  these  commands,  he  returned  home;  but 
he  did  not  sleep  that  night.  He  felt  that  without  raising  his 
voice  for  a  moment  he  had  crushed  Sarah,  the  wretched  Jewess, 
who  had  dared  to  deceive  him.  He  had  punished  her  as  a 
king  who  with  one  movement  of  the  eye  dashes  people  down 
from  heights  into  the  abyss  of  servitude.  But  Sarah  was 
merely  an  instrument  of  the  priests,  and  the  heir  had  too 
great  a  feeling  of  justice  to  forgive  the  real  authors  when  he 
had  broken  the  instrument. 

His  rage  was  intensified  all  the  more  because  the  priests 
were  unassailable.  He  might  send  out  Sarah  with  her  child 
in  the  middle  of  the  night  to  the  servants'  house,  but  he  could 
not  deprive  Herhor  of  his  power,  nor  Mefres  of  the  high  priest 
hood.  Sarah  had  fallen  at  his  feet,  like  a  trampled  worm ;  but 
Herhor  and  Mefres,  who  had  snatched  his  first-born  from  him, 
towered  above  Egypt,  and,  oh,  shame!  above  him,  the  coming 
pharaoh,  like  pyramids. 

And  he  could  not  tell  how  often  in  that  year  he  had  recalled 


346  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  wrongs  which  priests  had  inflicted.  At  school  they  had 
beaten  him  with  sticks  till  his  back  was  swollen,  or  had  tor 
tured  him  with  hunger  till  his  stomach  and  spine  had  grown 
together.  At  the  manoeuvres  of  the  year  past,  Herhor  spoiled 
his  whole  plan,  then  put  the  blame  on  him,  and  took  away  the 
command  of  an  army  corps.  That  same  Herhor  drew  on  him 
the  displeasure  of  his  holiness  because  he  had  taken  Sarah 
to  his  house,  and  did  not  restore  him  to  honor  till  the  humili 
ated  prince  had  passed  a  couple  of  months  in  a  voluntary 
exile. 

It  would  seem  that  when  he  had  been  leader  of  a  corps  and 
was  viceroy  the  priests  would  cease  tormenting  him  with  their 
guardianship.  But  just  then  they  appeared  with  redoubled 
energy.  They  had  made  him  viceroy;  for  what  purpose?  — 
to  remove  him  from  the  pharaoh,  and  conclude  a  shameful 
treaty  with  Assyria.  They  had  used  force  in  such  form  that 
he  betook  himself  to  the  temple  as  a  penitent  to  obtain  infor 
mation  concerning  the  condition  of  the  state;  there  they  de 
ceived  him  through  miracles  and  terrors,  and  gave  thoroughly 
false  explanations. 

Next  they  interfered  with  his  amusements,  his  women,  his 
relations  with  the  pharaoh,  his  debts,  and,  finally,  to  humiliate 
and  render  him  ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  Egyptians,  they  made 
his  first-born  a  Hebrew. 

Where  was  the  laborer,  where  the  slave,  where  an  Egyptian 
convict  in  the  quarries  who  had  not  the  right  to  say,  "I  am 
better  than  thou,  the  viceroy,  for  no  son  of  mine  is  a  Hebrew." 

Feeling  the  weight  of  the  insult,  Rameses  understood  at 
the  same  time  that  he  could  not  avenge  himself  immediately. 
Hence  he  determined  to  defer  that  affair  to  the  future.  In  the 
school  of  the  priests  he  had  learned  self-command,  in  the  court 
he  had  learned  deceit  and  patience ;  those  qualities  became  a 
weapon  and  a  shield  to  him  in  his  battle  with  the  priesthood. 
Till  he  was  ready  he  would  lead  them  into  error,  and  when  the 
moment  came  he  would  strike  so  hard  that  they  would  never 
rise  again. 

It  began  to  dawn.  The  heir  fell  asleep,  and  when  he  woke 
the  first  person  he  saw  was  the  steward  of  Sarah's  villa. 

"What  of  the  Jewess?"  asked  the  prince. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  347 

"According  to  thy  command,  worthiness,  she  washed  the 
feet  of  her  new  mistress,"  answered  the  official. 

"  Was  she  stubborn  ?  " 

"She  was  full  of  humility,  but  not  adroit  enough  ;  so  the 
angry  lady  struck  the  Jewess  with  her  foot  between  the 
eyebrows." 

The  prince  sprang  up. 

"And  what  did  Sarah  do?"  inquired  he,  quickly. 

"She  fell  to  the  pavement.  And  when  the  new  mistress 
commanded  her  to  go,  she  went  out,  weeping  noiselessly." 

The  prince  walked  up  and  down  in  the  chamber. 

"How  did  she  pass  the  night?  " 

"The  new  lady?" 

"No!     I  ask  about  Sarah." 

"According  to  command,  Sarah  went  with  her  child  to  the 
servants'  house.  The  women,  from  compassion,  yielded  a 
fresh  mat  to  her,  but  she  did  not  lie  down  to  sleep ;  she  sat 
the  whole  night  with  her  child  on  her  knees." 

"But  how  is  the  child?"  asked  Rameses. 

"The  child  is  well.  This  morning,  when  the  Jewess  went  to 
serve  her  new  mistress,  the  other  women  bathed  the  little  one 
in  warm  water,  and  the  shepherd's  wife,  who  also  has  an  in 
fant,  gave  her  breast  to  it." 

The  prince  stopped  before  the  steward. 

"It  is  wrong,"  said  he,  "when  a  cow  instead  of  suckling  its 
calf  goes  to  the  plough  and  is  beaten.  Though  this  Jewess  has 
committed  a  great  offence,  I  do  not  wish  that  her  innocent 
child  should  be  a  sufferer.  Therefore  Sarah  will  not  wash 
the  feet  of  the  new  lady  again,  and  will  not  be  kicked  between 
the  eyes  by  her  a  second  time.  Thou  wilt  set  aside  for  her 
use  in  the  servants'  house  a  room  with  food  and  furniture  such 
as  are  proper  for  a  woman  recovered  recently  from  childbirth. 
And  let  her  nourish  her  infant  in  peace  there." 

"Live  thou  through  eternity,  our  ruler!  "  answered  the  stew 
ard:  and  he  ran  quickly  to  carry  out  the  commands  of  the 
viceroy. 

All  the  servants  loved  Sarah,  and  in  a  few  days  they  had 
occasion  to  hate  the  angry  and  turbulent  Kama. 


348  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 


CHAPTER   XXXIX 

THE  priestess  brought  little  happiness  to  the  viceroy. 
When  he  came  the  first  time  to  visit  her  in  the  villa 
occupied  recently  by  Sarah,  he  thought:  "I  shall  be  met  with 
delight  now  and  gratitude." 

Meanwhile  Kama  received  him  almost  with  anger. 

"What  is  this?"  cried  she.  "A  half  day  has  passed,  and 
that  wretched  Jewess  is  restored  to  thy  favor. " 

"Does  she  not  dwell  in  the  servants'  house?"  asked  the 
prince. 

4 'But  my  steward  says  that  she  will  wash  my  feet  no 
longer." 

When  the  prince  heard  this,  a  feeling  of  disgust  seized  him. 

"Thou  art  not  satisfied,  I  see,"  said  he. 

"I  shall  not  be  satisfied  till  I  humiliate  that  Jewess,"  cried 
Kama,  "till  she,  by  serving  me  and  kneeling  at  my  feet,  for 
gets  that  she  was  once  thy  first  woman  and  the  mistress  of  this 
villa.  I  shall  not  be  satisfied  till  my  servants  cease  to  look 
at  me  with  fear  and  without  confidence,  and  on  her  with 
compassion." 

The  Phoenician  woman  was  less  and  less  pleasing  to 
Rameses. 

uKama,"  said  he,  "consider  what  I  tell  thee:  If  a  servant 
here  were  to  kick  in  the  teeth  a  female  dog  that  was  suckling 
its  young,  I  should  hunt  that  servant  out  of  this  villa.  Thou 
hast  struck  with  thy  foot  between  the  eyes  a  woman  and  a 
mother.  In  Egypt  mother  is  a  great  word.  A  good  Egyptian 
reverences  three  things  beyond  all  others,  —  the  gods,  the 
pharaoh,  and  his  own  mother." 

"Oh,  woe  to  me!"  cried  Kama,  throwing  herself  on  the 
couch.  "Here  is  my  reward,  wretched  woman,  for  denying 
my  goddess.  One  week  ago  men  placed  flowers  at  my  feet 
and  burnt  incense  before  me,  but  to-day  —  " 

The  prince  walked  out  of  the  chamber  quietly,  and  saw  the 
priestess  again  only  after  some  days  had  passed. 

But  she  was  still  in  evil  humor. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  349 

"I  implore  thee,  lord,"  cried  she,  "think  a  little  more  of 
me.  My  servants  even  begin  to  contemn  me,  the  warriors 
look  at  me  with  a  frown,  and  I  am  afraid  that  some  one  in 
the  kitchen  may  poison  the  food  prepared  for  me." 

"I  was  occupied  with  the  army,  so  I  could  not  visit  thee," 
replied  the  viceroy. 

"That  is  untrue,"  answered  Kama,  in  anger.  "Yesterday 
thou  wert  outside  the  entrance  to  this  house,  and  then  thou 
didst  go  to  the  servants'  house,  where  dwells  the  Jewess. 
Thou  didst  this  to  show  — " 

"Enough!"  interrupted  the  prince.  "I  was  neither  here 
nor  at  the  servants'  house.  If  it  seemed  to  thee  that  thou 
wert  looking  at  me,  that  means  that  thy  lover,  that  worthless 
Greek,  not  only  has  not  left  Egypt,  but  even  dares  to  wander 
through  my  garden." 

The  Phoenician  woman  heard  him  with  fright. 

"0  Astaroth!  "  cried  she,  suddenly.  "Save  me!  Hide  me, 
O  earth!  for  if  that  wretch  Lykon  returns  mighty  misfortune 
is  threatening  me." 

The  prince  laughed,  but  he  had  not  patience  to  listen  to  the 
complaints  of  the  ex-priestess. 

"Be  at  rest,"  said  he,  when  going,  "and  wonder  not  if  after 
some  days  men  bring  in  thy  Lykon  bound  like  a  jackal.  That 
insolent  ruffian  has  worn  out  my  patience." 

On  returning  to  his  palace  the  prince  summoned  Hiram  and 
the  chief  of  police  in  Pi-Bast.  He  told  them  that  Lykon,  the 
Greek  with  a  face  resembling  his,  was  prowling  around  among 
the  palaces,  and  he  gave  command  to  seize  him.  Hiram  swore 
that  if  Phoenicians  helped  the  police  the  Greek  would  be  taken. 
But  the  chief  shook  his  head. 

"Dost  doubt?"  asked  the  prince. 

"Yes,  lord.  In  Pi-Bast  dwell  many  pious  Asiatics  who 
think  the  priestess  worthy  of  death  because  she  deserted  the 
altar.  If  this  Greek  has  bound  himself  to  kill  Kama,  they 
will  help  him,  they  will  conceal  the  man,  and  facilitate  flight 
for  him." 

"What  is  thy  answer  to  this?  "  asked  the  heir  of  Hiram. 

"The  worthy  master  of  the  palace  speaks  wisely,"  replied 
the  old  Phoenician. 


350  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"But  ye  have  freed  Kama  from  the  curse." 

"I  guarantee  that  Phoenicians  will  not  touch  Kama,  and 
will  pursue  the  Greek.  But  what  is  to  be  done  with  the  other 
adherents  of  Astaroth?" 

"I  make  bold  to  think,"  said  the  chief,  "that  nothing 
threatens  this  woman  at  present.  If  she  had  courage,  we 
might  employ  her  to  decoy  the  Greek,  and  seize  him  here  in 
thy  palaces,  O  Erpatr." 

"Then  go  to  her,"  said  the  prince,  "and  lay  before  her 
whatever  plan  thou  mayst  think  out.  And  if  thou  seize  the 
man,  I  will  give  thee  ten  talents." 

When  the  heir  left  them,  Hiram  said  to  the  chief,  — 

"Dignitary,  I  am  aware  that  thou  knowest  both  kinds  of 
writing,  and  that  the  wisdom  of  priests  is  not  strange  to  thee. 
When  thou  hast  the  wish,  thou  art  able  to  hear  through  walls 
and  see  things  in  darkness.  For  this  reason  thou  knowest  the 
thoughts  of  the  man  who  works  with  a  bucket,  the  laborer,  the 
artisan  who  takes  sandals  to  market,  the  great  lord  who  in  the 
escort  of  his  servants  feels  as  safe  as  a  child  on  the  bosom 
of  its  mother." 

"Thou  speakest  truth,"  replied  the  official.  "The  gods 
have  given  me  a  wonderful  gift  of  clear  insight." 

"That  is  it;  thanks  to  thy  gifts,  thou  hast  guessed  beyond 
doubt  that  the  temple  of  Astaroth  will  appoint  to  thee  twenty 
talents  if  thou  seize  that  wretch  who  dares  assume  the  appear 
ance  of  the  prince,  our  viceroy.  Besides,  in  every  case,  the 
temple  offers  thee  ten  talents  if  news  of  the  likeness  of  the 
wretched  Lykon  to  the  heir  is  not  reported  throughout  Egypt; 
for  it  is  offensive  and  improper  that  an  ordinary  mortal  should 
recall  by  his  features  a  personage  descended  from  divinity." 

"Therefore  let  not  that  which  thou  hearest  of  the  wretched 
Lykon  go  beyond  our  own  hearts,  nor  any  word  touching  our 
chase  after  that  godless  outcast." 

"I  understand,"  replied  the  official.  "It  may  even  happen 
that  such  a  criminal  may  lose  his  life  before  we  can  give  him 
to  the  court." 

"Thou  hast  said  it,"  replied  Hiram,  pressing  his  hand; 
"and  every  help  asked  by  thee  of  Phoenicians  will  be 
furnished. " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  351 

They  parted  like  two  friends  who  were  hunting  a  wild  beast, 
and  knew  that  the  problem  was  not  that  their  spear  should 
strike,  but  that  the  beast  should  drop  in  its  tracks  and  not 
go  into  other  hands. 

After  Borne  days  Rameses  visited  Kama  again,  but  found 
her  in  a  state  touching  on  insanity.  She  hid  herself  in  the 
darkest  room  of  the  villa;  she  was  hungry,  her  hair  was  not 
dressed,  she  was  even  unwashed.  She  gave  the  most  contra 
dictory  commands  to  her  servants;  at  one  time  she  ordered  all 
to  come  to  her,  at  another  she  sent  all  away.  In  the  night 
she  summoned  the  guard  of  warriors,  and  fled  to  the  highest 
chamber  soon  after,  crying  out  that  they  wished  to  kill 
her. 

In  view  of  these  actions  all  desire  vanished  from  the  prince's 
soul,  and  there  remained  simply  a  feeling  of  great  trouble. 
He  seized  his  head  when  the  steward  of  the  palace  and  the  offi 
cer  told  him  of  these  wonders,  and  he  whispered  : 

"Indeed,  I  did  badly  in  taking  that  woman  from  her  god 
dess  ;  for  the  goddess  alone  could  endure  her  caprices  with 
patience." 

He  went,  however,  to  Kama,  and  found  her  emaciated, 
broken,  and  trembling. 

"  Woe  to  me !  "  cried  she.  "  There  are  none  around  me  but 
enemies.  My  tirewoman  wishes  to  poison  me  ;  my  hairdresser 
to  give  me  some  dreadful  disease.  The  warriors  are  waiting  an 
opportunity  to  bury  swords  and  spears  in  my  bosom ;  I  am  sure 
that  instead  of  food,  they  prepare  for  me  magic  herbs  in  the 
kitchen.  All  are  rising  up  to  destroy  me  — " 

"  Kama  !  "  interrupted  the  prince. 

"  Call  me  not  by  that  name  !  "  whispered  she  ;  "  it  will  bring 
me  misfortune." 

"  But  how  do  these  ideas  come  to  thee?" 

"  How?  Dost  thou  think  that  in  the  daytime  I  do  not  see 
strange  people  who  appear  at  the  palace  and  vanish  before  I 
can  call  in  my  servants?  And  in  the  night  do  I  not  hear 
people  outside  the  wall  whispering  ?  " 

"  It  seems  so  to  thee." 

"  Cursed!  Cursed!"  cried  Kama,  weeping.  "Ye  all  say 
that  it  seems  to  me.  But  the  day  before  yesterday  some 


352  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

criminal  hand  threw  into  ray  bedchamber  a  veil,  which  I  wore 
half  a  day  before  I  saw  that  it  was  not  mine  and  that  I  had 
never  worn  a  veil  like  it." 

44  Where  is  that  veil?"  inquired  the  prince,  now  alarmed. 

"I  burned  it,  but  I  showed  it  first  to  my  servants." 

44  If  not  thine  even,  what  harm  could  come  of  it?  " 

11  Nothing  yet.  But  had  I  kept  that  rag  in  the  house  two 
days  longer,  I  should  have  been  poisoned,  or  caught  some 
incurable  disorder.  I  know  Asiatics  and  their  methods." 

Wearied  and  irritated,  the  prince  left  her  at  the  earliest, 
in  spite  of  entreaties  to  stay.  When  he  asked  the  servants 
about  that  veil,  the  tirewoman  declared  that  it  was  not  one 
of  Kama's ;  some  person  had  thrown  it  into  the  chamber. 

The  prince  commanded  to  double  the  watch  at  the  villa  and 
around  it,  and  returned  in  desperation  to  his  dwelling. 

"Never  should  I  have  believed,"  said  he,  "that  a  single 
weak  woman  could  bring  so  much  trouble.  Four  freshly 
caught  hyenas  are  not  so  restless  as  that  Kama!" 

At  his  palace  the  prince  found  Tutmosis,  who  had  just 
returned  from  Memphis  and  had  barely  taken  time  to  bathe 
and  dress  after  the  journey. 

44  What  hast  thou  to  say?"  inquired  the  prince  of  his 
favorite,  divining  that  he  had  not  brought  pleasant  tidings. 
44  Hast  thou  seen  his  holiness?" 

44 1  saw  the  sun-god  of  Egypt,  and  this  is  what  he  said 
to  me  — " 

4 'Speak,"  hurried  Rameses. 

44  Thus  spoke  our  lord,"  answered  Tutmosis,  crossing  his 
arms  on  his  breast :  "  4  For  four  and  thirty  years  have  I 
directed  the  weighty  car  of  Egypt,  and  I  am  so  wearied  that 
I  yearn  to  join  my  mighty  forefathers  who  dwell  now  in  the 
western  kingdom.  Soon  I  shall  leave  this  earth,  and  then 
my  son,  Rameses,  will  sit  on  the  throne,  and  do  with  the 
state  what  wisdom  points  out  to  him.' " 

44  Did  my  holy  father  speak  thus?' ' 

44  Those  are  his  words  repeated  faithfully.  A  number  of 
times  the  lord  spoke  explicitly,  saying  that  he  would  leave  no 
command  to  thee,  so  that  thou  mightst  govern  Egypt  as  thy 
wishes  indicate." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  353 

"Oh,  holy  one!  Is  his  illness  really  serious?  Why  did  he 
not  summon  me  ?  "  asked  the  prince,  in  sorrow. 

"Thou  must  be  here,  for  thou  mayst  be  of  service  in  this 
part  of  Egypt." 

"  But  the  treaty  with  Assyria?  " 

"  It  is  concluded  in  this  sense,  that  Assyria  may  wage  war  on 
the  east  and  north  without  hindrance  from  Egypt.  But  the  ques 
tion  of  Phoenicia  remains  in  abeyance  till  thou  art  the  pharaoh." 

44  O  blessed  !  O  holy  ruler!  From  what  a  dreadful  heritage 
thou  hast  saved  me." 

"So  Phoenicia  remains  in  abeyance,"  continued  Tutmosis. 
"But  still  there  is  one  bad  thing.  His  holiness,  to  show 
Assyria  that  he  will  not  hinder  her  in  the  war  against  northern 
peoples,  has  commanded  to  decrease  our  army  by  twenty 
thousand  mercenaries." 

44  What  dost  thou  tell  me!  "  cried  the  heir,  astounded. 

Tutraosis  shook  his  head  in  sign  of  sorrow. 

4  4 1  speak  the  truth,  and  four  Libyan  regiments  are  now 
disbanded." 

44  But  this  is  madness!"  almost  howled  the  heir,  wringing 
his  hands.  "Why  have  we  so  weakened  ourselves,  and 
whither  will  those  disbanded  men  go?  " 

44  They  have  gone  to  the  Libyan  desert  already,  and  will 
either  attack  the  Libyans,  which  will  cause  us  trouble,  or  will 
join  them  and  both  will  attack  then  our  western  border." 

'4  I  have  heard  nothing  of  this !  What  did  they  do,  and 
when  did  they  do  it?  No  news  reached  us !  "  cried  Rameses. 

44  The  disbanded  troops  went  to  the  desert  from  Memphis, 
and  Herhor  forbade  to  mention  this  news  to  any  person." 

44  Do  neither  Mefres  nor  Mentezufis  know  of  this  matter?" 

44  They  know." 

44  They  know,  and  I  do  not." 

The  prince  grew  calm  on  a  sudden,  but  he  was  pale,  and  on 
his  young  face  was  depicted  terrible  hatred.  He  seized  both 
hands  of  his  favorite,  pressed  them  firmly,  and  whispered,  — 

44  Hear  me!  By  the  sacred  heads  of  my  father  and  mother, 
by  the  memory  of  Rameses  the  Great — by  all  the  gods,  if 
there  are  any,  I  swear  that  during  my  rule  if  the  priests  will 
not  bow  down  before  me  I  will  crush  them." 

23 


354  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Tutmosis  listened  in  alarm. 

"I  or  they!"  finished  the  prince.  "Egypt  cannot  have 
two  lords." 

"  Formerly  it  had  only  one,  the  pharaoh,"  added  Tutmosis. 

"  Then  thou  wilt  be  loyal  to  me?" 

"  I,  all  the  nobles,  and  the  army,  I  swear  to  thee." 

"  Enough  !  "  concluded  Rameses.  "  Let  them  discharge  the 
mercenary  regiments,  let  them  sign  treaties,  let  them  hide 
before  me  like  bats,  and  let  them  deceive  us  all.  But  the 
time  will  come  —  And  now,  Tutmosis,  rest  after  the  journey , 
be  with  me  at  the  feast  this  evening.  Those  people  have  so 
bound  me  that  I  can  only  amuse  myself.  Then  let  me  amuse 
myself.  But  in  time  I  will  show  them  who  the  ruler  of  Egypt 
is,  —  they  or  I." 

From  that  day  feasts  began  again.  The  prince,  as  if 
ashamed  to  meet  the  army,  was  not  present  at  drills.  Still, 
his  palace  was  swarming  with  nobles,  officers,  jugglers,  and 
singers,  while  at  night  great  orgies  took  place,  at  which  the 
sound  of  harps  mingled  with  the  drunken  shouts  of  guests  and 
the  spasmodic  laughter  of  women. 

Ramesea  invited  Kama  to  one  of  these  feasts,  but  she  refused. 

The  prince  was  offended.     Seeing  this,  Tutmosis  said,  — 

"They  have  told  me,  lord,  that  Sarah  has  lost  thy  favor." 

"Do  not  mention  that  Jewess  to  me,"  replied  Rameses. 
"But  dost  thou  know  what  she  did  with  my  son?" 

"I  know;  but  that,  it  seems  to  me,  was  not  her  fault.  I 
heard  in  Memphis  that  thy  worthy  mother  and  the  worthy 
minister  Herhor  made  thy  son  a  Jew,  so  that  he  might  rule 
over  Israelites  sometime  —  " 

"But  the  Israelites  have  no  king,  —  only  priests  and  judges," 
interrupted  the  prince. 

"They  have  not,  but  they  wish  to  have.  They,  too,  are  dis 
gusted  with  priestly  rule." 

The  heir  waved  his  hand  contemptuously. 

"A  charioteer  of  his  holiness  means  more  than  any  king, 
especially  any  king  of  the  Israelites,  who  as  yet  have  no 
kingdom." 

"In  every  case,  Sarah's  fault  is  not  so  great,"  put  in 
Tutmosis. 


THE   PHARAOH   ANT)   THE   PRIEST  355 

"Then  know  that  I  will  pay  the  priests  sometime." 

"They  are  not  to  blame  so  greatly.  For  instance,  the 
worthy  Herhor  did  this  to  increase  the  glory  and  power 
of  thy  dynasty.  And  he  did  it  with  the  knowledge  of  thy 
mother. " 

"But  why  does  Mefres  interfere?  His  single  duty  is  to 
care  for  the  temple,  not  influence  the  fate  of  the  pharaoh's 
descendants." 

"Mefres  is  an  old  man  growing  whimsical.  The  whole 
court  of  his  holiness  jeers  at  him  because  of  practices,  of 
which  I  know  nothing,  though  I  see  the  holy  man  almost 
daily." 

"This  is  curious.     What  does  he  do?  " 

"A  number  of  times  during  twenty-four  hours  he  performs 
solemn  services  in  the  most  secret  parts  of  the  temple,  and  he 
commands  the  priests  to  see  if  the  gods  do  not  hold  him  sus 
pended  while  praying." 

'kHa!  ha!  "  laughed  Rameses.  "And  all  this  is  going  on  in 
Pi-Bast  here  under  our  eyes,  and  I  do  not  know  of  it?" 

"A  priestly  secret." 

"A  secret  of  which  all  in  Memphis  are  talking!  Ha!  ha! 
ha!  In  the  amphitheatre  I  saw  a  Chaldean  suspended  in  the 
air." 

"I  saw  him  too;  but  that  was  a  trick,  while  Mefres  wishes  to 
be  borne  above  the  earth  really  on  the  wings  of  his  devotion." 

"Unheard-of  buffoonery!  What  do  the  other  priests  say  to 
this?" 

"Perhaps  in  our  sacred  papyruses  there  is  mention  that  in 
old  times  there  were  prophets  among  us  who  had  the  gift  of 
suspending  themselves  in  the  air;  so  the  desires  of  Mefres 
do  not  astonish  priests  nowadays.  And  since,  as  is  known 
to  thee,  subordinates  among  us  see  whatever  pleases  superiors, 
some  holy  men  claim  that  during  prayer  Mefres  really  rises  a 
couple  of  fingers  high  above  the  pavement." 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!  And  with  this  great  secret  the  whole  court 
is  occupied,  and  we,  like  laborers  or  earth-diggers,  do  not 
even  suspect  that  miracles  are  wrought  at  one  side  of  us.  A 
wretched  fate  to  be  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt!  "  laughed  the 
viceroy. 


356  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

When  he  grew  calm,  at  the  repeated  request  of  Tutmosis, 
he  commanded  to  transfer  Sarah  from  the  servants'  house  to 
Kama's  first  villa.  The  servants  were  delighted  at  this 
change;  all  the  serving  and  slave  women,  and  even  the 
scribes  conducted  Sarah  to  her  new  dwelling  with  music  and 
shouts  of  pleasure. 

The  Phoenician  woman,  when  she  heard  the  uproar,  asked 
the  reason ;  and  when  they  told  her  that  Sarah  had  been  re 
stored  to  the  favor  of  the  prince,  and  that  from  the  servants' 
house  she  had  been  transferred  to  the  villa,  the  enraged  ex- 
priestess  sent  for  Rameses. 

The  prince  came. 

"Dost  thou  treat  me  in  this  way?"  screamed  she,  losing 
control  of  her  temper.  "Thou  didst  promise  that  I  should 
be  thy  first  woman,  but  before  the  moon  traversed  half  the 
heavens  thy  promise  was  broken.  Perhaps  thou  thinkest  that 
the  vengeance  of  Astaroth  will  fall  on  the  priestess  alone,  and 
not  reach  to  princes." 

"Tell  thy  Astaroth,"  replied  Rameses,  calmly,  "not  to 
threaten  princes,  or  she  may  go  herself  to  the  servants' 
house." 

"I  understand!"  exclaimed  Kama.  "I  shall  go  to  the 
servants'  house,  perhaps  even  to  prison,  while  thou  wilt  spend 
nights  with  thy  Jewess.  Because  I  have  left  the  gods  for 
thee  I  have  drawn  down  a  curse  on  my  own  head.  Because 
I  left  them  I  know  no  rest  for  a  moment ;  I  have  lost  my  youth 
for  thee,  my  life,  my  soul  even,  and  this  is  the  pay  which 
thou  givest  me." 

The  prince  confessed  in  his  heart  that  Kama  had  sacrificed 
much  for  him,  and  he  felt  compunction. 

"I  have  not  been  and  shall  not  be  with  Sarah,"  said  he. 
"But  does  it  harm  thee  that  the  ill-fated  woman  has  some 
comfort  and  can  nourish  her  child  unmolested  ?  " 

Kama  trembled.  She  raised  her  clinched  fist,  her  hair 
stirred,  and  in  her  eyes  an  ugly  fire  of  hate  was  flashing. 

"Is  this  the  answer  which  thou  givest  me?  The  Jewess  is 
unhappy  because  thou  didst  drive  her  from  the  villa,  and  I 
must  be  satisfied,  though  the  gods  have  driven  me  out  of  their 
temples.  But  my  soul  —  the  soul  of  a  priestess  who  is  drown- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  357 

ino"  in  tears  and  in  terror  —  does  not  mean  more  for  thee  than 

& 

that  brat  of  the  Jew  woman  —  this  child,  which,  would  he  were 
dead  —  may  he  —  " 

"Silence!"  cried  the  prince,  shutting  her  mouth. 

She  drew  back  frightened. 

"Then  may  I  not  even  complain  of  my  wretchedness?"  in 
quired  she.  "But  if  thou  art  so  careful  of  that  child,  why 
steal  me  from  the  temple,  why  promise  that  I  should  be  first 
in  thy  household?  Have  a  care,"  continued  she,  raising  her 
voice  again,  "that  Egypt,  after  learning  my  fate,  may  not  call 
thee  a  faith-breaker." 

The  prince  turned  his  head  and  laughed.  But  he  sat  down, 
and  said,  — 

"My  teacher  was  right,  indeed,  when  he  warned  me  against 
women:  Ye  are  like  ripe  peaches  in  the  eyes  of  a  man  whose 
tongue  thirst  has  parched,  but  peaches  ripe  only  in  appear 
ance,  Woe  to  the  fool  who  dares  bite  that  fruit  of  fair  seem 
ing;  instead  of  cooling  sweetness  he  will  find  a  nest  of  wasps 
that  will  sting  not  his  lips  alone,  but  his  heart  also." 

"Wilt  thou  complain?  Wilt  thou  not  spare  me  even  this 
shame  after  I  have  sacrificed  to  thee  both  my  dignity  of 
priestess  and  my  virtue?" 

The  heir  shook  his  head  and  smiled. 

"Never  could  I  have  thought,"  said  he,  after  a  while,  "that 
the  story  told  by  laborers  before  bedtime  could  have  come 
true.  But  to-day  I  see  the  truth  of  it.  Listen  to  me,  Kama; 
perhaps  thou  wilt  stop,  and  not  force  me  to  withdraw  the  good 
will  which  I  have  for  thee." 

"He  wishes  now  to  tell  a  fable!"  said  the  priestess,  bit 
terly.  "Thou  hast  told  me  one  already,  and  I  was  profited 
by  hearing  it." 

"This  will  profit  thee  if  thou  understand  it." 

"Will  there  be  anything  about  Jewish  brats  in  it?" 

"Of  priestesses  there  will  be;  only  listen  carefully. 

"The  following  thing  happened  here  long  ago,  in  Pi- 
Bast:1 

"Once  Prince   Satni,  on   the  square  before  the  temple   of 
Ptah,  saw  a  very  beautiful  woman.     She  surpassed  all  whom 
1  A  true  story. 


358  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

he  had  met  before,  and,  what  was  more  noteworthy,  she  had 
much  gold  on  her  person. 

"She  pleased  the  prince  greatly,  and  when  he  learned  that 
she  was  the  daughter  of  the  high  priest,  he  sent  his  equerry  to 
her  with  the  following  offer,  — 

"  '  I  will  give  thee  gold  rings  if  thou  wilt  pass  one  short 
hour  in  my  company.' 

"The  equerry  went  to  the  beautiful  Tbubui  and  repeated 
the  words  of  Prince  Satni.  When  she  had  listened  to  him 
politely,  she  answered  as  became  a  well-bred  young  lady,  — 

"  '  I  am  the  daughter  of  a  high  priest;  I  am  innocent,  no 
low  girl.  So,  if  the  prince  wishes  to  have  the  pleasure  of 
knowing  me,  let  him  come  to  my  house,  where  everything  will 
be  ready,  and  where  acquaintance  with  him  will  not  expose 
me  to  the  scandai  of  all  the  street  gossips.' 

"Prince  Satni  went  to  Tbubui's  chambers,  the  walls  of 
which  were  covered  with  lapis  lazuli  and  pale  green  enamel. 
There  were  also  many  couches  decked  with  regal  linen,  and 
not  a  few  one-legged  tables  on  which  gold  goblets  were  stand 
ing.  One  of  these  goblets  was  filled  with  wine  and  given  to  the 
prince,  while  Tbubui  said  to  him,  'Be  gracious,  and  drink.' 
To  this  the  prince  answered,  '  Thou  knowest  that  I  have  not 
come  to  drink  wine  here.'  Still  the  two  sat  down  at  the  feast, 
during  which  Tbubui  wore  a  long,  heavy  robe  fastened  at  her 
neck  closely.  When  the  prince,  excited  by  wine,  wished  to 
kiss  her,  she  repelled  him,  and  answered,  — 

"  *  This  house  will  be  thine.  But  remember  that  I  am  no 
street  woman,  but  an  innocent  maiden.  If  thou  wish  from  me 
obedience,  swear  faith,  and  convey  to  me  thy  property.' 

"'Let  the  scribe  come!'  cried  the  prince.  When  they 
brought  in  the  scribe,  Satni  commanded  him  to  write  an  act 
of  betrothal,  also  a  deed  by  which  he  transferred  to  Tbubui 
all  his  money,  and  all  his  property,  personal  and  real. 

"An  hour  later  the  servants  announced  to  the  prince  that  his 
children  were  waiting  in  the  lower  story.  Tbubui  left  him 
then,  but  returned  soon,  attired  in  a  transparent  gauze  robe. 
Satni  wished  again  to  embrace  her,  but  she  repelled  him  a 
second  time,  saying:  '  This  house  will  be  thine.  But,  since  I 
am  no  common  woman,  but  an  innocent  maiden,  if  thou  wish 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  359 

to  possess  me,  let  thy  children  renounce  every  claim,  lest  they 
raise  lawsuits  hereafter  with  my  children.' 

"Satni  called  up  his  children,  and  commanded  them  to  sign 
an  act  renouncing  all  claim  to  his  possessions.  They  did  so. 
But  when,  roused  by  long  resistance,  he  approached  Tbubui, 
she  repelled  him,  saying,  — 

"  l  This  house  will  be  thine.  But  I  am  no  chance  passing 
woman,  I  am  a  pure  maiden.  If  thou  love  me,  give  con* 
sent  to  kill  those  children  lest  they  take  property  from  my 
children.'  " 

"This  is  rather  a  long  story,"  said  Kama,  impatiently. 

"It  will  end  right  away.  And  dost  thou  know,  Kama,  what 
Satni  replied  to  this:  '  If  thou  wish,  let  the  crime  be  accom 
plished.'  Tbubui  gave  no  chance  to  have  these  words  said  a 
second  time.  Before  their  father's  eyes  she  commanded  to  kill 
the  children,  and  throw  their  bloody  limbs  to  dogs  and  cats 
outside  the  windows.  Only  after  that  did  Satni  enter  her 
chamber  and  repose  on  her  bed,  inlaid  with  ivory." 

"Tbubui  did  well  not  to  trust  to  men's  promises,"  said  the 
irritated  Kama. 

"But  Satni,"  said  the  heir,  "did  better.  He  woke,  for  his 
dreadful  crime  was  a  dream  only.  And  remember  this, 
Kama,  the  surest  way  to  rouse  a  man  from  love's  intoxication 
is  to  curse  his  son." 

"Be  at  rest,  lord,"  said  Kama,  gloomily,  "I  will  never 
mention  hereafter  thy  son  or  my  sorrow." 

"And  I  will  not  withdraw  my  favor  from  thee,  and  thou 
wilt  be  happy,"  said  Rameses,  in  conclusion. 


CHAPTER   XL 

AMONG  the  inhabitants  of  Pi-Bast  alarming  news  had 
begun  to  circulate  concerning  the  Libyans.  It  was  said 
that  those  barbarian  warriors,  disbanded  by  the  priests,  be 
gan  by  begging  on  the  road  homeward,  then  they  stole,  and 
finally  they  fell  to  robbing  and  burning  Egyptian  villages, 
murdering  the  inhabitants  meanwhile. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days  they  attacked  and  destroyed  the 


360  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

towns  of  Chinen-su,  Pinat,  and  Kasa,  south  of  Lake  Moeris, 
and  they  cut  down  also  a  caravan  of  merchants  and  Egyptian 
pilgrims  returning  from  the  oasis  Uit-Mehe.  The  entire  west 
ern  boundary  of  the  state  was  in  peril,  and  even  from  Tere- 
methis  inhabitants  began  to  flee.  And  in  the  neighborhood 
beyond  that,  toward  the  sea,  appeared  bands  of  Libyans, 
sent,  as  it  were,  by  the  terrible  chief,  Musawasa,  wrho,  it 
seemed,  was  to  declare  a  sacred  war  against  Egypt. 

Moreover,  if  any  evening  a  western  strip  of  sky  was  red 
for  too  long  a  time  alarm  fell  on  Pi-Bast.  The  people  gath 
ered  along  the  streets ;  some  of  them  went  out  on  the  flat  roofs, 
or  climbed  trees,  and  declared  that  they  saw  a  fire  in  Menuf 
or  in  Sechem.  Some,  even,  in  spite  of  darkness,  saw  fleeing 
people,  or  Libyan  bands  marching  toward  Pi-Bast  in  long 
black  columns. 

Notwithstanding  the  indignation  of  people,  the  rulers  of 
provinces  remained  indifferent,  for  the  central  power  issued 
no  order. 

Prince  Rameses  saw  this  alarm  of  the  people  and  the  indif 
ference  of  dignitaries.  Mad  anger  seized  him,  because  he 
received  no  command  from  Memphis,  and  because  neither 
Mefres  nor  Mentezufis  spoke  with  him  of  dangers  threaten 
ing  Egypt. 

But  since  neither  priest  visited  him,  and  both,  as  it  were, 
avoided  conversation,  the  viceroy  did  not  seek  them,  nor  did 
he  make  any  military  preparations. 

At  last  he  ceased  to  visit  the  regiments  stationed  at  Pi-Bast, 
but  assembling  at  the  palace  all  the  young  nobles,  he  amused 
himself  and  feasted,  repressing  in  his  heart  indignation  at  the 
priests  and  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  the  country. 

"Thou  wilt  see!"  said  he  once  to  Tutmosis.  "The  holy 
prophets  will  manage  us  so  that  Musawasa  will  take  Lower 
Egypt,  and  we  shall  have  to  flee  to  Thebes,  if  not  to  Sunnu, 
unless  the  Ethiopians  drive  us  also  from  that  place." 

"Thou  speakest  truth,"  replied  Tutmosis;  "our  rulers'  acts 
resemble  those  of  traitors." 

The  first  day  in  the  month  of  Hator  (August-September)  a 
great  feast  was  given  at  the  palace  of  the  viceroy.  They 
began  to  amuse  themselves  at  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  be- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  361 

fore  sunset  all  present  were  drunk.  It  went  so  far  that  men 
and  women  rolled  on  the  floor,  which  was  wet  with  wine  and 
covered  with  flowers  and  pieces  of  broken  pitchers. 

The  prince  was  the  soberest  among  them.  He  was  not 
on  the  floor,  he  was  sitting  in  an  armchair,  holding  on  his 
knees  two  beautiful  dancers,  one  of  whom  was  giving  him 
wine,  while  the  other  was  pouring  strong  perfumes  on  his  head. 

At  this  moment  an  adjutant  entered  the  hall,  and,  stepping 
over  a  number  of  guests  lying  prostrate,  hurried  up  to  Rameses. 

"Worthy  lord,"  said  he,  "the  holy  Mefres  and  the  holy 
Mentezufis  wish  to  speak  at  once  with  thee." 

The  viceroy  pushed  the  girls  away,  and  with  red  face, 
stained  garments,  and  tottering  steps  went  to  his  chamber  in 
the  upper  story.  At  sight  of  him  Mefres  and  Mentezufis 
looked  at  each  other. 

"What  do  ye  wish,  worthy  fathers?"  asked  the  prince, 
dropping  into  an  armchair. 

"I  do  not  know  whether  thou  wilt  be  able  to  hear  us,"  an 
swered  the  anxious  Mentezufis. 

"Ah!  do  ye  think  that  I  am  tipsy?"  cried  the  prince. 
"Have  no  fear.  To-day  all  Egypt  is  either  so  mad  or  so 
stupid  that  most  sense  is  found  among  drinkers." 

The  priests  frowned,  but  Mentezufis  began,  — 

"  Thou  knowest,  worthiness,  that  our  lord  and  the  supreme 
council  determined  to  disband  twenty  thousand  mercenary 
warriors?" 

"  Well,  if  I  do  not  know?"  said  the  heir.  4l  Ye  have  not 
deigned  to  ask  my  advice  in  a  question  so  difficult  to  deter 
mine,  ye  have  not  even  thought  it  worth  while  to  inform  me 
that  four  regiments  are  disbanded,  and  that  those  men,  because 
of  hunger,  are  attacking  our  cities." 

"  It  seems  to  me,  worthiness,  that  thou  art  criticising  the 
commands  of  his  holiness  the  pharaoh,"  interrupted  Mente 
zufis. 

"Not  of  his  holiness  !  "  cried  the  prince,  stamping,  "  but  of 
those  traitors  who,  taking  advantage  of  the  sickness  of  my 
father,  wish  to  sell  Egypt  to  Assyrians  and  Libyans. " 

The  priests  were  astounded.  No  Egyptian  had  ever  used 
•words  of  that  kind. 


362  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Permit,  prince,  that  we  return  in  a  couple  of  hours,  when 
thou  shalt  have  calmed  thyself,"  said  Mefres. 

44  There  is  no  need  of  that.  I  know  what  is  happening  on 
our  western  boundary.  Or  rather  it  is  not  I  who  know,  but 
my  cooks,  stable-boys,  and  laundry  men.  Perhaps  then  ye  will 
have  the  goodness,  worthy  fathers,  to  communicate  your  plans 
to  me." 

Mentezufis  assumed  a  look  of  indifference,  and  said,  - 

"The  Libyans  have  rebelled  and  are  collecting  bands  with 
the  intention  of  attacking  Egypt.'* 

"  I  understand." 

44  At  the  desire,  therefore,  of  his  holiness,"  continued  Men 
tezufis,  "  and  of  the  supreme  council,  thou  art  to  take  troops 
from  Lower  Egypt  and  annihilate  the  rebels." 

"  Where  is  the  order?  " 

Mentezufis  drew  forth  from  his  bosom  a  parchment  provided 
with  seals,  and  gave  it  to  the  viceroy. 

44  From  this  moment  then  I  command,  and  am  the  supreme 
power  in  this  province,"  said  the  viceroy. 

"  It  is  as  thou  hast  said." 

"And  I  have  the  right  to  hold  a  military  council  with  you?" 

*'  Of  course,"  replied  Mefres.     "  Even  this  moment  — 

"  Sit  down,"  interrupted  the  prince. 

Both  priests  obeyed  his  command. 

"  I  ask  because  in  view  of  my  plans  I  must  know  why  the 
Libyan  regiments  were  disbanded." 

44  Others  too  will  be  disbanded,"  caught  up  Mentezufis. 
44  The  supreme  council  desires  to  disband  twenty  thousand  of 
the  most  expensive  warriors,  so  that  the  treasury  of  his  holiness 
may  save  four  thousand  talents  yearly,  without  which  want  may 
soon  threaten  ^he  court  of  the  pharaoh." 

44  A  thing  which  does  not  threaten  the  most  wretched  of 
Egyptian  priests,"  added  Rameses. 

4 'Thou  forgettest,  worthiness,  that  it  is  not  proper  to  call  a 
priest  wretched,"  replied  Mentezufis.  44  And  if  want  threatens 
none  of  them,  the  merit  is  found  in  their  moderate  style  of 
living." 

44  In  that  case  the  statues  drink  the  wine  which  is  carried 
every  day  to  the  temples,  while  stone  gods  dress  their  wives  in 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  363 

gold  and  jewels,"  jeered  Rameses.  "But  no  more  about  your 
abstemiousness.  Not  to  fill  the  treasury  of  the  pharaoh  has 
the  council  of  priests  disbanded  twenty  thousand  troops  and 
opened  the  gates  of  Egypt  to  bandits." 

"But  why?" 

"  This  is  why :  to  please  King  Assar.  And  since  his  holi 
ness  would  not  agree  to  give  Phoenicia  to  Assyria,  ye  wish  to 
weaken  the  state  in  another  way,  by  disbanding  hired  troops 
and  rousing  war  on  our  western  boundary." 

"  I  take  the  gods  to  witness  that  thou  dost  astonish  us, 
worthiness,"  cried  Mentezufis. 

"  The  shades  of  the  pharaohs  would  be  more  astonished  if 
they  heard  that  in  this  same  Egypt  in  which  the  power  of  the 
pharaoh  is  hampered,  some  Chaldean  trickster  is  influencing 
the  fate  of  the  nation." 

"I  do  not  believe  my  own  ears,"  replied  Mentezufis. 
"  What  dost  thou  say  of  some  Chaldean?  " 

The  viceroy  laughed  sneeringly. 

"I  speak  of  Beroes.  If  thou,  holy  man,  hast  not  heard  of 
him,  ask  the  revered  Mefres,  and  if  he  has  forgotten  turn  then 
to  Herhor  and  Pentuer." 

"  That  is  a  great  secret  of  our  temples  — 

"A  foreign  adventurer  came  like  a  thief  to  Egypt,  and  put 
on  the  members  of  the  supreme  council  a  treaty  so  shameful 
that  we  should  be  justified  in  signing  it  only  after  we  had  lost 
battles,  lost  all  our  regiments  and  both  capitals.  And  to 
think  that  this  was  done  by  one  man,  most  assuredly  a  spy  of 
King  Assar!  And  our  sages  let  themselves  be  so  charmed  by 
his  eloquence,  that,  when  the  pharaoh  would  not  let  them  give 
up  Phoenicia,  they  disbanded  regiments  in  every  case,  and 
caused  war  on  our  western  boundary.  Have  we  ever  heard  of 
a  deed  like  this?  "  continued  Rameses,  no  longer  master  of 
himself.  "When  it  was  just  the  time  to  raise  the  army  to 
three  hundred  thousand  and  hurry  on  to  Nineveh,  those  pious 
maniacs  discharged  twenty  thousand  men  and  fired  their  own 
dwelling-house." 

Mefres,  still  and  pale,  listened  to  these  jeers.  At  last  he 
said,  — 

"I  know  not,  worthy  lord,  from  what  source  thou  hast  taken 


364  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

thy  information.  May  it  be  as  pure  as  the  hearts  of  the 
highest  counsellors !  But  let  us  suppose  that  thou  art  right, 
that  some  Chaldean  priest  had  power  to  bring  the  council  to 
sign  a  burdensome  treaty  with  Assyria.  If  it  happened  thus, 
whence  knowest  thou  that  that  priest  was  not  an  envoy  of  the 
gods,  who  through  his  lips  forewarned  us  of  dangers  hanging 
over  Egypt?" 

"How  do  the  Chaldeans  enjoy  your  confidence  to  such  a 
degree?"  asked  the  viceroy. 

"  The  Chaldean  priests  are  elder  brothers  of  the  Egyptians," 
interrupted  Mentezufis. 

"  Then  perhaps  the  Assyrian  king  is  the  master  of  the 
pharaoh  ?  " 

"  Blaspheme  not,  worthiness,"  said  Mefres,  severely.  "  Thou 
art  pushing  into  the  most  sacred  things  frivolously,  and  to  do 
that  has  proved  perilous  to  men  who  were  greater  than  thou 
art." 

"  Well,  I  will  not  do  so.  But  how  is  a  man  to  know  that 
one  Chaldean  is  an  envoy  of  the  gods,  and  another  a  spy  of 
King  Assar?" 

"By  miracles,"  answered  Mefres.  "If,  at  thy  command, 
prince,  this  room  should  fill  with  spirits,  if  unseen  powers  were 
to  bear  thee  in  the  air,  we  should  know  that  thou  wert  an 
agent  of  the  immortals,  and  should  respect  thy  counsel." 

Rameses  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "I,  too,  have  seen 
spirits :  a  young  girl  made  them.  And  I  saw  a  juggler  lying 
in  the  air  in  the  amphitheatre." 

"  But  thou  didst  not  see  the  fine  strings  which  his  four  assist 
ants  had  in  their  teeth,"  put  in  Mentezufis. 

The  prince  laughed  again,  and,  remembering  what  Tutmosis 
had  told  him  about  the  devotions  of  Mefres,  he  said  in  a 
jeering  tone,  — 

"In  the  days  of  Cheops  a  certain  high  priest  wished  abso 
lutely  to  fly  through  the  air.  With  this  object  he  prayed  to 
the  gods,  and  commanded  his  inferiors  to  see  whether  unseen 
powers  were  not  raising  him.  And  what  will  ye  say,  holy 
fathers?  From  that  time  forth  there  was  no  day  when  prophets 
did  not  assure  the  high  priest  that  he  was  borne  in  the  air,  — 
not  very  high,  it  is  true,  about  a  finger  from  the  pavement. 


THE    PHARAOH   AND    THE    PRIEST  365 

But  —  what  is  that  to  thy  power,  worthiness?"  inquired  he 
of  Mefres,  suddenly. 

The  high  priest,  when  he  heard  his  own  story,  shook  in  the 
chair,  and  would  have  fallen  had  not  Meutezufis  supported 
him. 

Rameses  bustled  about,  gave  the  old  man  water  to  drink, 
rubbed  vinegar  on  his  temples  and  forehead,  and  fanned  him. 

Soon  the  holy  Mefres  recovered,  rose  from  the  chair,  and 
said  to  Mentezufis,  — 

"May  we  not  go  now?" 

"I  think  so." 

"But  what  am  I  to  do?  "  asked  the  prince,  feeling  that  some 
thing  evil  had  happened. 

"Accomplish  the  duties  of  leader,"  said  Mentezufis,  coldly. 

Both  priests  bowed  to  the  prince  ceremoniously,  and  de 
parted.  Rameses  was  not  entirely  sober,  but  a  great  weight 
fell  on  his  heart.  At  that  moment  he  understood  that  he 
had  committed  two  grievous  errors:  He  had  confessed  to  the 
priests  that  he  knew  their  great  secret,  and  he  had  jeered, 
without  mercy,  at  Mefres.  He  would  have  given  a  year  of  his 
life  could  he  have  blotted  from  their  memories  all  that  drunken 
conversation.  But  it  was  too  late  then  to  do  so. 

"It  cannot  be  hidden,"  thought  he.  "I  have  betrayed  my 
self  and  procured  mortal  enemies.  The  position  is  difficult. 
The  struggle  begins  at  a  moment  which  is  for  me  most  un 
favorable.  But  let  us  go  on.  More  than  one  pharaoh  has 
struggled  with  the  priests  and  conquered,  even  without  hav 
ing  very  strong  allies." 

Still  he  felt  the  danger  of  his  position  so  clearly  that  at  that 
moment  he  swore  by  the  sacred  head  of  his  father  that  he 
would  never  drink  wine  again  freely.  He  summoned  Tutmosis. 
The  confidant  appeared  at  once,  perfectly  sober. 

"We  have  a  war,  and  I  am  commander,"  said  the  viceroy. 

Tutmosis  bent  to  the  earth. 

"I  will  never  get  drunk  again,"  added  the  prince.  "And 
knowest  thou  why?" 

"A  leader  should  abstain  from  wine  and  stupefying  per 
fumes,"  said  Tutmosis. 

"I  have  not  thought  of  that,  — that  is  nothing;  but  I  have 
babbled  out  a  secret  before  the  priests." 


366  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"What  secret?  "  cried  the  terrified  Tutmosis. 

"This,  — that  I  hate  them,  and  jeer  at  their  miracles." 

"Oh,  that  is  no  harm.  They  never  calculate  on  the  love  of 
people." 

"And  that  I  know  their  political  secrets,"  added  the  prince. 

"Ei!"  hissed  Tutmosis.  "That  is  the  one  thing  that  was 
not  needed." 

"No  help  for  it  now,"  said  Rameses.  "Send  out  our  couriers 
immediately  to  the  regiments;  let  the  chiefs  meet  to-morrow 
morning  in  a  military  council.  Give  command  to  light  alarm 
signals,  so  that  all  the  troops  of  Lower  Egypt  may  march 
toward  the  western  border  to-morrow.  Go  to  the  nomarchs 
here,  and  command  them  to  inform  all  the  others  to  collect 
clothing,  provisions,  and  weapons." 

"We'shall  have  trouble  with  the  Nile,"  said  Tutmosis. 

"Then  let  every  boat  and  barge  be  held  at  the  arms  of  the 
Nile  to  ferry  over  troops.  We  must  summon  every  nomarch 
to  occupy  himself  in  fitting  out  reserves." 

Meanwhile  Mefres  and  Mentezufis  returned  to  their  dwell 
ings  in  the  temple  of  Ptah.  When  they  were  alone  in  a  cell, 
the  high  priest  raised  his  hands,  and  exclaimed,  — 

"O  Trinity  of  immortal  gods,  — Osiris,  Isis,  and  Horus,  — 
save  Egypt  from  destruction!  Since  the  world  became  the 
world,  no  pharaoh  has  ever  uttered  so  many  blasphemies  as  we 
have  heard  to-day  from  that  stripling.  What  do  I  say, 
pharaoh?  —  No  enemy  of  Egypt,  no  Hittite,  Pho2uiciau,  or 
Libyan  has  ever  dared  so  to  insult  priestly  immunity." 

"Wine  makes  a  man  transparent,"  answered  Mentezufis. 

"But  in  that  youthful  heart  is  a  nest  of  serpents.  He  in 
sults  the  priestly  rank,  he  jeers  at  miracles,  he  has  no  belief 
in  gods." 

"But  this  concerns  me  most,"  said  Mentezufis,  thoughtfully, 
—  "how  did  he  learn  of  our  negotiations  with.  Beroes?  for  he 
knows  them,  I  will  swear  to  that." 

"A  dreadful  treason  has  been  committed,"  added  Mefres, 
seizing  his  head. 

"A  very  wonderful  thing!     There  were  four  of  us." 

"Not  at  all  four  of  us.  The  elder  priestess  of  Isis  knew  of 
Beroes,  two  priests  who  showed  him  the  road  to  the  temple  of 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  367 

Set,  and  a  priest  who  received  him  at  the  door.  But  wait! 
that  priest  spends  all  his  time  in  underground  places.  But  if 
he  overheard  ? " 

"In  every  case  he  did  not  sell  the  secret  to  a  stripling,  but 
to  some  one  more  important;  and  that  is  dangerous." 

The  high  priest  of  the  temple  of  Ptah,  the  holy  Sem,  knocked 
at  the  door  of  the  cell. 

"Peace  to  you,"  said  he,  entering. 

"Blessing  to  thy  heart." 

"I  came,  for  ye  were  raising  your  voices  as  if  some  misfor 
tune  had  happened.  Does  this  war  with  the  wretched  Libyans 
not  surprise  you?  " 

"What  dost  thou  think  of  the  prince,  — the  heir  to  the 
throne?"  asked  Mentezufis,  interrupting  him. 

"I  think,"  answered  Sem,  "that  he  must  be  quite  satisfied 
with  the  war  and  supreme  command.  He  is  a  born  hero. 
When  I  look  at  him  I  remember  that  lion,  Rameses  the  Great. 
This  youth  is  ready  to  rush  at  all  the  bands  of  Libya,  and, 
indeed,  he  may  scatter  them." 

"This  youth,"  added  Mefres,  "is  capable  of  overturning  all 
our  temples,  and  wiping  Egypt  from  the  face  of  the  earth." 

Holy  Sem  drew  forth  quickly  a  gold  amulet  which  he  wore 
on  his  breast,  and  whispered,  — 

"Flee,  evil  words,  to  the  desert.  Go  far,  and  harm  not  the 
just.  What  art  thou  saying,  worthiness?"  continued  he,  more 
loudly,  and  in  a  tone  of  reproach. 

"The  worthy  Mefres  speaks  truth,"  said  Mentezufis.  "Thy 
head  would  ache,  and  thy  stomach  also,  should  human  lips 
repeat  the  blasphemous  words  which  we  have  heard  this  day 
from  that  giddy  stripling." 

"Jest  not,  O  prophet,"  said  the  high  priest  Sem,  with  indig 
nation.  "Sooner  would  I  believe  that  water  burns  and  air 
quenches  than  that  Rameses  would  commit  blasphemy." 

"He  did  so  in  seeming  drunkenness,"  said  Mefres, 
maliciously. 

"Even  if  he  were  drunk  —  I  do  not  deny  that  the  prince  is 
frivolous,  and  a  rioter;  but  a  blasphemer — " 

"So,  too,  did  we  think,"  said  Mentezufis.  "And  we  were 
so  sure  of  knowing:  his  character  that  when  he  returned  from 


368  THE   PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  temple  of  Hator  we  ceased  even  to  exercise  control  ovei 
him." 

"Thou  wert  sparing  of  gold  to  pay  men  for  watching,"  said 
Mefres.  "Thou  seest  now  what  results  are  involved  in  a  neg 
lect  which  seemed  slight  to  thee." 

"But  what  has  happened?"   inquired  Sem,  impatiently. 

"I  will  answer  briefly:  the  prince  reviles  the  gods." 

"Oho!" 

"He  criticises  the  commands  of  the  pharaoh." 

"Is  it  possible?" 

"He  calls  the  supreme  council  traitors." 

"But-" 

"But  from  whom  did  he  learn  of  the  coming  of  Beroes, 
even  of  his  interview  with  Mefres,  Herhor,  and  Pentuer,  in 
the  temple  of  Set?" 

The  high  priest  Sem,  seizing  his  head  with  both  hands, 
walked  up  and  down  through  the  cell. 

"Impossible!"  said  he.  "Impossible!  Has  any  one  cast 
a  spell  over  that  young  man  ?  Perhaps  the  Phoenician  priest 
ess,  whom  he  stole  from  the  temple." 

This  consideration  seemed  to  Mentezufis  so  apposite  that  he 
looked  at  Mefres.  But  the  angry  high  priest  would  not  be 
turned  aside  for  an  instant. 

"Let  us  see,"  said  he.  "But  first  we  must  investigate 
and  learn  what  the  prince  was  doing  day  by  day,  after  his 
return  from  the  temple  of  Hator.  He  had  too  much  freedom, 
too  many  relations  with  unbelievers  and  with  enemies  of 
Egypt.  But  thou  wilt  help  us,  worthy  Sem." 

Because  of  this  decision,  the  high  priest  Sem  ordered  to 
summon  for  the  following  day  a  solemn  service  at  the  temple 
of  Ptah. 

So  they  stationed  on  squares  and  at  street  corners,  even  in 
the  fields,  heralds  of  the  priests,  and  called  all  the  people  with 
flutes  and  trumpets. 

And  when  a  sufficient  number  of  hearers  had  assembled,  they 
informed  them  that  in  the  temple  of  Ptah  there  would  be 
prayers  and  processions  during  three  days,  to  the  intent  that 
the  good  god  would  bless  Egyptian  arms  and  crush  Libyans ; 
that  he  would  send  down  on  their  leader,  Musawasa,  leprosy, 
insanity,  and  blindness. 


THE    rilARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  369 

As  the  priests  wished,  so  was  it  done.  From  morning  till 
late  at  night  common  people  of  every  occupation  crowded 
around  the  temple;  the  aristocracy  and  the  wealthy  citizens 
assembled  in  the  forecourt;  while  the  priests  of  the  city  and 
of  the  neighboring  provinces  made  sacrifices  to  Ptah  and  re 
peated  prayers  in  the  most  holy  chapel. 

Thrice  daily  did  a  solemn  procession  issue  forth,  carrying 
iu  a  golden  boat,  concealed  by  curtains,  the  revered  statue  of 
the  divinity;  whereat  the  people  prostrated  themselves  and 
confessed  their  faults  loudly,  while  prophets  disposed  in  the 
crowd  numerously  helped  them  to  penitence  by  appropriate 
questions.  A  similar  thing  was  done  in  the  forecourt  of 
the  temple.  But  since  officials  and  rich  people  did  not  like  to 
accuse  themselves  openly,  the  holy  fathers  took  them  aside, 
and  gave  advice  and  exhortation  in  whispers. 

In  the  afternoon  the  service  was  most  solemn,  for  at  that 
time  the  troops  marching  westward  came  to  receive  the  blessing 
of  the  high  priest,  and  strengthen  the  power  of  amulets  which 
had  the  quality  of  weakening  blows  from  the  enemy. 

Sometimes  thunder  was  heard  in  the  temple,  and  at  night, 
above  the  pylons,  there  was  lightning.  This  was  a  sign  that 
the  god  had  heard  some  one's  prayers,  or  was  conversing  with 
the  priesthood. 

When,  after  the  ending  of  the  solemnity,  the  three  dignita 
ries  —  Sera,  Mefres,  and  Mentezufis  —  met  for  consultation, 
the  position  had  become  clearer. 

The  solemnity  had  brought  the  temple  about  forty  talents  > 
but  sixty  talents  had  been  given  out  in  presents  or  in  paying 
the  debts  of  various  persons  of  the  aristocracy  as  well  as  of 
the  highest  military  circles. 

They  had  collected  the  following  information:  — 

A  report  was  current  in  the  army,  that  when  Prince  Rameses 
mounted  the  throne,  he  would  begin  a  war  with  Assyria,  which 
would  assure  great  profit  to  those  taking  part  in  it.  The 
lowest  soldier,  they  said,  would  not  return  without  a  thousand 
drachmas,  or  perhaps  a  still  larger  sum. 

It  was  whispered  among  people  that  when  the  pharaoh 
returned  with  victory  from  Nineveh,  he  would  give  slaves  to 
the  earth-tillers,  and  remit  for  a  number  of  years  all  taxes. 

24 


370  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST/ 

The  aristocracy,  on  its  part,  judged  that  the  new  pharaoh 
would,  first  of  all,  take  from  priests  and  return  to  nobles  all 
lands  which  had  become  temple  property,  and  would  pay  also 
the  debts  of  nobles.  It  was  said,  too,  that  the  coming  pharaoh 
would  govern  independently,  without  a  supreme  priestly 
council. 

Finally,  in  all  social  circles  there  reigned  a  conviction  that 
Rameses,  to  secure  the  aid  of  Phoenicia,  had  had  recourse  to 
the  goddess  Istar,1  to  whom  he  showed  marked  devotion.  In 
every  case  it  was  certain  that  the  heir  had  once  visited  the 
temple  of  Istar,  and  had  seen,  in  the  night,  certain  miracles. 
Finally,  rumors  were  current  among  Asiatics  that  Rameses  had 
made  immense  presents  to  the  temple,  and  in  return  had  taken 
thence  a  priestess  to  confirm  him  in  the  faith  of  the  goddess. 

All  these  tidings  were  collected  by  the  most  worthy  Sem  and 
his  assistants.  The  holy  fathers,  Mefres  and  Mentezufis, 
communicated  to  him  other  information  which  had  come  to 
them  from  Memphis :  — 

The  Chaldean  priest  and  miracle-worker,  Beroes,  was  re 
ceived  in  the  subterranean  parts  of  the  temple  of  Set  by  the 
priest  Osochar,  who,  when  giving  his  daughter  in  marriage 
two  months  later,  had  presented  her  with  rich  jewels  and 
bought  a  good  estate  for  her  and  her  husband.  And  since 
Osochar  had  no  considerable  income,  a  suspicion  rose  that 
that  priest  had  overheard  the  conversation  of  Beroes  with  the 
Egyptian  priests,  and  had  sold  to  Phoenicians,  criminally,  the 
secret  of  the  treaty,  and  received  a  great  estate  from  them. 

When  he  heard  this,  the  high  priest  Sem  added,  — 

"If  the  holy  Beroes  does,  indeed,  perform  miracles,  then 
ask  him,  first  of  all,  if  Osochar  has  betrayed  the  secret." 

"They  inquired  of  Beroes,"  said  Mefres,  "but  the  holy 
man  answered  that  in  that  affair  he  preferred  to  be  silent. 
He  added,  also,  that  even  if  some  one  had  heard  their  conver 
sation,  and  reported  to  Phoenicians,  neither  Egypt  nor  Chaldea 
would  suffer  any  injury;  and  if  they  should  find  the  guilty 
person,  it  would  be  proper  to  show  him  mercy." 

"A  holy  man!     Indeed,  a  holy  man!  "  whispered  Sem. 

"And  what  wilt  thou  say,  worthiness,"  asked  Mefres,  "of 

1  Another  form  of  Astarte. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  371 

the  prince  and  the  disturbances  which  his  conduct  has  caused 
in  the  country  ?  " 

"I  will  say  the  same  as  Beroes:  '  The  heir  does  not  cause 
harm  to  Egypt,  so  we  should  show  him  indulgence. ' ' 

"This  young  man  reviles  the  gods  and  miracles;  he  enters 
foreign  temples,  he  excites  the  men  to  rebellion.  These  are 
no  small  matters,"  said  Mefres,  bitterly.  This  priest  could  not 
pardon  Rameses  for  having  jeered  at  his  devotion  so  rudely. 

The  high  priest  Sem  loved  Rameses ;  so  he  answered  with  a 
kindly  smile,  — 

"What  laborer  is  there  in  Egypt  who  would  not  like  to  have 
a  slave,  and  abandon  hard  labor  for  sweet  idleness?  Or  what 
man  is  there  on  earth  who  is  without  the  dream  of  not  paying 
taxes,  since  with  that  which  he  pays  the  treasury,  his  wife, 
he  himself,  and  his  children  might  buy  showy  clothes  and 
use  various  dainties?" 

"Idleness  and  excessive  outlay  spoil  a  man,"  said  Men- 
tezufis. 

"What  warrior,"  continued  Sem,  "would  not  desire  war 
and  covet  a  thousand  drachmas,  or  even  a  greater  sum? 
Further,  I  ask  you,  O  fathers,  what  pharaoh,  what 
nomarch,  what  noble  pays  old  debts  with  alacrity,  and  does 
not  look  askance  at  the  wealth  of  temples  ?  " 

"That  is  vile  greed,"  whispered  Mefres. 

"And,  finally,"  said  Sem,  "what  heir  to  the  throne  has  not 
dreamed  of  decreasing  the  importance  of  the  priesthood? 
What  pharaoh  at  the  beginning  of  his  reign  has  not  tried  to 
shake  off  the  supreme  council's  influence?" 

44  Thy  words  are  full  of  wisdom,  "  said  Mefres,  "  but  to  what 
may  they  lead  us  ?  " 

4k  To  this,  not  to  accuse  the  heir  before  tjie  supreme  council, 
for  there  is  no  court  that  would  condemn  the  prince  for  this, 
that  earth-workers  would  be  glad  not  to  pay  taxes,  or  that 
soldiers  want  war  if  they  can  have  it.  Nay,  ye  may  receive  a 
reprimand.  For  if  ye  had  followed  the  prince  day  by  day  and 
restrained  his  minor  excesses,  we  should  not  have  at  present 
that  pyramid  of  complaints  founded,  moreover,  on  nothing. 
In  such  affairs  the  evil  is  not  in  this,  that  people  are 
inclined  to  sin,  for  thev  have  been  so  at  all  times.  But  the 


372  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

danger  is  here,  that  we  have  not  guarded  them.  Our  sacred 
river,  the  mother  of  Egypt,  would  very  soon  fill  all  canals  with 
mud,  if  engineers  ceased  to  watch  it." 

"  And  what  wilt  thou  say,  worthiness,  of  the  fictions  which 
the  prince  permitted  himself  in  speaking  with  us  ?  Wilt  thou 
forgive  his  foul  reviling  of  miracles?  "  inquired  Mefres.  "  More 
over  this  stripling  has  insulted  me  grievously  in  my  religious 
practices.  " 

"  Whoso  speaks  with  a  drunken  man  is  himself  an  offender," 
said  Sem.  "  To  tell  the  truth,  ye  had  no  right,  worthy  fathers, 
to  speak  with  a  man  who  was  not  sober  about  important  state 
questions.  Ye  committed  a  fault  in  making  a  drunken  man 
commander  of  an  army.  A  leader  must  be  sober." 

UI  bow  down  before  thy  wisdom,"  said  Mefres;  "  still  I  vote 
to  lay  a  complaint  against  the  heir  before  the  supreme  council.  " 

"  But  I  vote  against  a  complaint,"  answered  Sem,  energeti 
cally.  "  The  council  must  learn  of  all  acts  of  the  viceroy,  not 
through  a  complaint,  but  through  an  ordinary  report  to  it.  " 

"  I  too  am  opposed  to  a  complaint,  "  said  Mentezufis. 

The  high  priest,  Mefres,  seeing  that  he  had  two  votes  against 
him,  yielded  in  the  matter  of  a  complaint.  But  he  remembered 
the  insult  from  the  prince  and  hid  ill-will  in  his  bosom. 


CHAPTER   XLI 

BY  advice  of  astrologers  the  headquarters  were  to  move  from 
Pi-Bast  on  the  seventh  day  of  Hator.  For  that  day  was 
"good,  good,  good."  Gods  in  heaven  and  men  on  earth 
rejoiced  at  the  victory  of  Ra  over  his  enemies  ;  whoever  came 
into  the  world  on  that  day  was  destined  to  die  at  an  advanced 
age  surrounded  by  reverence. 

That  was  a  favorable  day  for  pregnant  women,  and  people 
trading  in  woven  stuffs,  but  for  toads  and  mice  it  was  evil. 

From  the  moment  that  he  was  appointed  commander  Rame- 
ses  rushed  to  work  feverishly.  He  received  each  regiment  as  it 
arrived ;  he  inspected  its  weapons,  its  train,  and  its  clothing. 
He  greeted  the  recruits,  and  encouraged  them  to  diligent  exercise 
at  drilling,  to  the  destruction  of  their  enemies  and  the  glory  of  the 


THE    PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST  373 

pharaoh.  He  presided  at  every  military  council,  he  was  pres 
ent  at  the  examination  of  every  spy,  and  in  proportion  as  tid 
ings  were  brought  in,  he  indicated  on  the  map  with  his  own 
hand  the  movement  of  Egyptian  armies  and  the  positions  of  the 
enemy. 

He  passed  so  swiftly  from  place  to  place  that  they  looked 
for  him  everywhere,  and  still  he  swooped  on  them  suddenly  like 
a  falcon.  In  the  morning  he  was  on  the  south  of  Pi-Bast  and 
verified  the  list  of  provisions;  an  hour  later  he  was  north  of 
the  city,  and  discovered  that  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  were  lack 
ing  in  the  leb  regiment.  In  the  evening  he  overtook  the 
advance  guard,  was  at  the  crossing  of  an  arm  of  the  Nile, 
and  passed  in  review  two  hundred  war  chariots. 

The  holy  Mentezufis,  who.  as  a  representative  of  Herhor, 
understood  the  military  art  well,  was  overcome  by  astonishment. 

"  Ye  know,  "  said  he  to  Sera  and  Mefres,  "  that  I  do  not 
like  the  heir  to  the  throne,  for  I  have  discovered  his  perversity 
and  malice.  But  Osiris  be  my  witness  that  that  young  man  is 
a  born  leader.  I  will  tell  you  a  thing  unparalleled  :  We  shall 
concentrate  our  forces  011  the  border  three  or  four  days  earlier 
than  it  was  possible  to  expect.  The  Libyans  have  lost  the  war 
already,  though  they  have  not  heard  the  whistle  of  our  arrows." 

"  So  much  the  worse  is  such  a  pharaoh  for  us,"  interposed 
Mefres,  with  the  stubbornness  peculiar  to  old  men. 

Toward  evening  the  sixth  of  Hator,  Prince  Rameses  bathed 
and  informed  his  staff  that  they  would  march  on  the  morrow 
two  hours  before  sunrise.  "  And  now  I  wish  to  sleep,"  said  he. 

To  wish  for  sleep  was  easier  than  to  get  it.  The  whole  city 
was  swarming  with  warriors ;  at  the  palace  of  the  prince  a  regi 
ment  had  encamped  which  had  no  thought  of  rest,  but  was  eat 
ing,  drinking,  and  singing. 

The  prince  went  to  the  remotest  chamber,  but  even  there  he 
could  not  undress.  Every  few  minutes  some  adjutant  flew 
in  with  a  report  of  no  moment,  or  for  an  order  in  questions 
which  could  have  been  settled  on  the  spot  by  the  commander  of 
a  regiment.  Spies  were  led  in  who  brought  no  new  informa 
tion  :  great  lords  with  small  followings  were  announced  ;  these 
wished  to  offer  their  services  to  the  prince  as  volunteers.  Phoe 
nician  merchants  broke  in  on  him ;  these  wanted  contracts  for 


374  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  army,  or  were  contractors  who  complained  of  the  extortion 
of  generals. 

Even  soothsayers  and  astrologers  were  not  lacking,  who  in 
the  last  hours  before  marching  wished  to  draw  his  horoscope  for 
the  viceroy ;  there  were  even  practisers  of  the  black  art  who 
wished  to  sell  unfailing  amulets  against  missiles. 

These  people  simply  broke  into  the  prince's  chamber :  each 
one  of  them  judged  that  the  fate  of  the  expedition  was  in  his 
hands,  and  that  in  such  a  case  every  etiquette  should  vanish. 

The  heir  satisfied  all  applicants  patiently.  But  when  behind 
an  astrologer  one  of  his  own  women  pushed  into  the  room  with 
complaint  that  Rameses  did  not  love  her,  since  he  had  not  taken 
farewell,  and  when  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  weeping  of 
another  was  heard  outside  the  window,  the  heir  could  endure  no 
longer ;  he  summoned  Tutmosis. 

"  Sit  in  this  room,  "  said  he,  "  and  if  thou  wish,  console  the 
women  of  my  household.  I  will  hide  somewhere  in  the  garden ; 
if  not,  I  shall  not  sleep  and  to-morrow  I  shall  look  like  a  hen 
just  pulled  out  of  a  cistern." 

"Where  am  I  to  seek  thee  in  case  of  need?"  asked 
Tutmosis. 

"Oho!  ho!"  laughed  the  heir.  "Seek  me  nowhere.  I 
shall  appear  of  myself  when  the  trumpet  is  sounded." 

And  throwing  over  his  shoulders  a  long  mantle  with  a  hood, 
he  slipped  out  to  the  garden.  Through  the  garden  were  prowl 
ing  soldiers,  kitchen  boys,  and  other  servants.  In  the  whole 
space  about  the  palace  order  had  disappeared,  as  usual  before  an 
expedition.  Noting  this,  Rameses  turned  to  the  densest  part  of 
the  park,  found  a  little  arbor  formed  of  grape-vines,  and  threw 
himself  on  a  bench  satisfied. 

"  Here  neither  priests  nor  women  will  find  me,  "  muttered  the 
viceroy. 

He  fell  asleep  immediately,  and  slept  like  a  stone. 

Kama  had  felt  ill  for  some  days.  To  her  irritation  was  joined 
some  peculiar  weakness  and  pain  in  the  joints.  Then  there 
was  an  itching  of  her  face,  but  especially  of  her  forehead  above 
the  eyebrows. 

These  minute  symptoms  seemed  to  her  so  alarming  that  she 
ceased  to  dread  assassination,  but  straightway  she  sat  down 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  375 

before  a  mirror,  and  told  her  servants  to  withdraw  and  leave 
her.  At  such  times  she  thought  neither  of  Rameses  nor  the 
hated  Sarah ;  all  her  attention  was  fixed  on  those  spots  which 
an  untrained  eye  would  not  have  even  noticed. 

"A  spot— yes,  these  are  spots,"  whispered  she,  full  of 
terror.  "Two,  three —  O  Astaroth,  but  them  wilt  not  punish 
thy  priestess  in  this  way  !  Death  would  be  better  —  But  again 
what  folly !  If  I  rub  my  forehead,  the  spots  will  be  redder. 
Evidently  something  has  bitten  me,  or  I  have  used  impure  oil 
in  anointing.  I  will  wash,  and  the  spots  will  be  gone  by 
to-morrow." 

The  morrow  came,  but  the  spots  had  not  vanished. 

Kama  called  a  servant. 

"  Listen  !  "  said  she.     "  Look  at  me  !  " 

But  as  she  spoke  she  sat  down  in  a  less  lighted  part  of  the 
chamber. 

"Listen  and  look!"  said  she,  in  a  stifled  voice.  "Dost 
thou  see  spots  on  my  face?  But  come  no  nearer." 

"  I  see  nothing,"  answered  the  serving- woman. 

"  Neither  under  my  left  eye  nor  on  my  brows?  "  asked  she, 
with  growing  irritation. 

"  Let  the  lady  be  pleased  graciously  to  sit  with  the  side  of 
her  face  to  the  light,"  said  the  woman. 

Of  course  that  request  enraged  Kama. 

"  Awav,  wretch, "  cried  she;  "show  thyself  no  more  to 
me!" 

When  the  serving-woman  fled,  her  mistress  rushed  feverishly 
to  the  dressing-table,  opened  two  little  toilet  jars,  and  with  a 
brush  painted  her  face  rose-color. 

Toward  evening,  feeling  continual  pain  in  her  joints  and 
fear  in  her  heart,  which  was  worse  than  pain,  she  commanded 
to  call  a  physician.  When  they  told  her  that  the  physician 
had  come,  she  looked  at  the  mirror,  and  was  seized  by  a  new 
attack,  as  it  were  of  insanity.  She  threw  the  mirror  to  the 
pavement,  and  cried  out  with  weeping  that  she  did  not  need 
the  physician. 

During  the  sixth  of  Hator  she  ate  nothing  all  day  and  would 
see  no  person. 

When  the  slave  woman  brought  in  a  light  after  sun-down, 


376  THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST 

Kama  lay  on  the  bed,  after  she  had  wound  herself  in  a  shawl. 
She  ordered  the  slave  to  go  out  as  quickly  as  possible ;  then  she 
sat  in  an  armchair  at  a  distance  from  the  lamp,  and  passed 
some  hours  in  a  half-waking  stupor. 

"  There  are  no  spots,"  said  she,  "  and  if  there  are,  they  are 
not  spots  of  that  kind!  They  are  not  leprosy.  O  ye  gods  !  " 
cried  she,  throwing  herself  on  the  pavement.  "It  cannot  be 
that  I —  O  ye  gods,  save  me  !  I  will  go  back  to  the  temple  ; 
I  will  do  life-long  penance  —  I  have  no  spots.  I  have  been 
rubbing  my  skin  for  some  clays  ;  that  is  why  it  is  red.  Again, 
how  could  I  have  it ;  has  any  one  ever  heard  that  a  priestess 
and  a  woman  of  the  heir  to  the  throne  could  have  leprosy? 
O  ye  gods !  that  never  has  happened  since  the  world  began. 
Only  fishermen,  prisoners,  and  vile  Jews  —  Oh,  that  low  Jew 
ess  !  Heavenly  powers,  oh,  send  down  leprosy  to  her ! " 

At  that  moment  some  shadow  passed  by  the  window  on 
the  first  story.  Then  a  rustle  was  heard,  and  from  the  door 
to  the  middle  of  the  room  sprang  in  —  Lykon. 

Kama  was  amazed.  She  seized  her  head  suddenly,  and  in 
her  eyes  immense  terror  was  depicted. 

"  Lykon !"  whispered  she.  "Thou  here,  Lykon?  Be  off! 
They  are  searching  for  thee." 

"  I  know,"  answered  the  Greek,  with  a  jeering  laugh.  "All 
the  Phoenicians  are  hunting  me,  and  all  the  police  of  his  holiness. 
Still  I  am  with  thee,  and  I  have  been  in  thy  lord's  chamber." 

' '  Wert  thou  with  the  prince  ?  " 

"Yes;  in  his  own  bedchamber.  And  I  should  have  left  a 
dagger  in  his  breast  if  the  evil  spirits  had  not  saved  him. 
Evidently  he  went  to  some  other  woman,  not  to  thee." 

"  What  dost  thou  wish  here  ?  "  whispered  Kama.     "  Flee  !  " 

"But  with  thee.  On  the  street  a  chariot  is  ready  for  us; 
on  this  we  shall  ride  to  the  Nile,  and  there  my  boat  is  in 
waiting." 

"Thou  hast  gone  mad!  But  the  city  and  the  streets  are 
filled  with  warriors." 

"  For  that  very  reason  I  was  able  to  enter  this  palace,  and 
we  can  escape  very  easily.  Collect  all  thy  treasures.  I  shall 
be  back  here  immediately  and  take  thee." 

"  Whither  art  thou  going?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  377 

"  I  tun  seeking  thy  lord.  I  shall  not  go  without  leaving  him 
a  memento." 

''Thou  art  mad!" 

"  Be  silent!  "  interrupted  Lykou,  pale  from  anger.  "  Thou 
wishest  yet  to  defend  him." 

The  Phoenician  woman  tottered  ;  she  clinched  her  fists,  and  an 
evil  light  flashed  in  her  eyes. 

"  But  if  thou  canst  not  find  him?  " 

; '  Then  I  will  kill  one  of  his  sleeping  warriors.  I  will  set 
fire  to  the  palace.  Do  I  know  what  I  shall  do?  But  I  will  not 
go  without  leaving  a  memento." 

The  great  eyes  of  the  Phrcnician  woman  had  such  a  ghastly 
look  that  the  Greek  was  astonished. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  thee?  "  asked  Lykon. 

"Nothing;  listen.  Thou  hast  never  been  so  like  the  prince 
as  to-day.  Hence,  if  thou  wish  to  do  a  good  thing  —  " 

She  put  her  face  to  his  ear  and  whispered. 

The  Greek  listened  in  amazement. 

"Woman,"  said  he,  "Hades  speaks  through  thee." 

"  Yes  ;  suspicion  will  be  turned  on  him." 

"That  is  better  than  a  dagger,"  said  Lykon,  laughing. 
"Never  could  I  have  come  on  that  idea.  Perhaps  both  would 
be  better?" 

"  No!     Let  her  live.     This  will  be  my  vengeance." 

"What  a  wicked  soul!"  whispered  Lykon.  "But  thou 
pleasest  me.  We  will  pay  them  both  in  kingly  fashion." 

He  withdrew  to  the  window  and  vanished.  Kama  leaned  out 
after  him,  and  forgetting  every  other  thing,  listened  in  a  fever. 

Perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  departure  of  Lykon, 
at  the  side  of  the  fig  grove  rose  the  piercing  shriek  of  a  woman. 
It  was  repeated  a  couple  of  times,  and  then  ceased. 

Instead  of  the  expected  delight,  terror  seized  Kama.  She 
fell  on  her  knees,  and  gazed  into  the  dark  garden  with  a 
wandering  stare. 

Below  was  heard  almost  noiseless  running;  there  was  a 
squeak  at  the  pillar  in  the  antechamber,  and  in  the  window 
appeared  Lykon  again  in  a  dark  mantle.  He  was  panting  with 
violence,  and  his  hands  trembled. 

"  Where  are  thy  jewels?  "  whispered  he. 


378  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  " 

"  Let  me  alone,"  replied  she. 

The  Greek  seized  her  by  the  shoulder. 

"  Wretch  !  Dost  thou  not  understand  that  before  sunrise 
they  will  imprison  thee,  and  will  strangle  thee  a  couple  of  days 
later?" 

4 '  I  am  sick." 

"  Where  are  thy  jewels?" 

"  Under  the  bed." 

Lykon  went  to  her  bedchamber;  with  the  light  of  a  lamp  he 
drew  out  a  heavy  casket,  threw  a  mantle  over  Kama,  and 
pulled  her  by  the  arm. 

"Make  ready!  Where  are  the  doors  through  which  he 
comes  to  thee  —  that  lord  of  thine?  " 

"Leave  me!" 

The  Greek  bent  to  her,  and  whispered,  - 

"Aha!  Dost  think  that  I  will  leave  thee  here?  I  care  as 
much  for  thee  now  as  I  do  for  a  dog  that  has  lost  sense  of 
smell.  But  thou  must  go  with  me.  Let  that  lord  of  thine 
know  that  there  is  a  man  better  than  he.  He  stole  a  priestess 
from  Astaroth,  I  take  his  mistress  from  the  heir  of  Egypt. " 

"I  tell  thee  that  I  am  sick." 

The  Greek  drew  out  a  slender  blade,  and  put  the  point  of  it 
to  her  throat. 

Kama  trembled,  and  whispered,  — 

"I  go." 

They  passed  through  the  secret  door  to  the  garden.  From 
the  direction  of  the  palace  came  the  noise  of  warriors  kindling 
fires.  Here  and  there  among  the  trees  were  lights;  from  time 
to  time  some  one  in  the  service  of  the  heir  passed  the  pair. 
At  the  gate  the  guard  stopped  them,  — 

"Who  are  ye?" 

"Thebes,"  answered  Lykon. 

Then  they  went  out  to  the  street  unhindered,  and  vanished 
in  the  alleys  of  the  foreign  quarter. 

Two  hours  before  daybreak  drums  and  trumpets  sounded 
through  the  city. 

Tutmosis  was  lying  sunk  in  deep  sleep,  when  Prince  Rameses 
pulled  his  mantle,  and  called,  — 

"Rise,  watchful  leader.     The  regiments  are  marching!  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  379 

Tutmosis  sat  up  in  bed  and  rubbed  his  drowsy  eyes. 

"Ah,  is  it  thou,  lord?"  asked  he,  yawning.  "Hast  thou 
slept?" 

"As  never  before,"  replied  Rameses. 

"But  I  should  like  to  sleep  more." 

Both  bathed,  put  on  their  jackets  and  light  mail,  then 
mounted  horses,  which  were  tearing  away  from  the  equerries. 

Soon  the  heir,  with  a  small  suite,  left  the  city,  and  on  the 
way  passed  slowly  moving  columns.  The  Nile  had  overflowed 
widely,  and  the  prince  wished  to  be  present  at  the  passage  of 
fords  and  canals. 

At  sunrise  the  last  army  chariot  was  far  outside  the  city, 
and  the  worthy  nomarch  of  Pi-Bast  said  to  his  servants,  — 

"I  am  going  to  sleep  now,  and  woe  to  the  man  who  rouses 
me  before  the  hour  of  our  feast  in  the  evening!  Even  the 
divine  sun  rests  when  each  day  is  past,  while  I  have  not  lain 
down  since  the  first  day  of  Hator." 

Before  he  had  finished  praising  his  own  watchfulness,  a 
police  officer  entered,  and  begged  for  a  special  hearing  in  a 
case  of  immense  importance. 

"Would  that  the  earth  had  swallowed  thee!"  muttered  the 
worthy  nomarch. 

But  still  he  commanded  to  summon  the  officer,  and  inquired 
with  ill-humor,  — 

"Is  it  not  possible  to  wait  a  few  hours?  The  Nile  will  not 
run  away,  as  it  seems  to  me." 

"A  terrible  misfortune  has  happened,"  replied  the  officer. 
u  The  son  of  the  erpatr  is  killed." 

"What?     Who?"  cried  the  nomarch. 

"The  son  of  the  Jewess  Sarah." 

"Who  killed  him?     When  —  " 

"Last  night." 

"But  who  could  do  this?  " 

The  officer  bent  his  head  and  spread  his  arms. 

"I  asked  who  killed  him?"  repeated  the  nomarch,  more 
astonished  than  angry. 

"Be  pleased,  lord,  thyself  to  investigate.  My  lips  will  not 
utter  what  my  ears  have  heard." 

The  astonishment  of  the  nomarch  increased.     He  gave  com- 


380  THp;   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

mand  to  lead  in  Sarah's  servants,  and  sent  for  Mefres,  the 
high  priest.  Mentezufis,  as  representative  of  the  minister  of 
war,  had  gone  with  the  viceroy. 

The  astonished  Mefres  came.  The  nomarch  told  of  the 
murder  of  the  child,  and  said  that  the  police  official  dared 
not  give  explanations. 

"But  are  there  witnesses?"  inquired  the  high  priest. 

"We  are  waiting  for  thy  commands,  holy  father." 

They  brought  in  Sarah's  doorkeeper. 

"Hast  thou  heard,"  inquired  the  nomarch,  "that  the  child 
of  thy  mistress  is  killed?" 

The  man  fell  to  the  pavement,  and  answered,  — 

"I  have  even  seen  the  worthy  remains  broken  against  the 
wall,  and  I  detained  our  lady  when  she  ran  out  to  the  garden, 
screaming." 

"When  did  this  happen?" 

"At  midnight.  Immediately  after  the  most  worthy  heir 
came  to  our  lady,"  answered  the  watch. 

"How  is  this?  Did  the  prince  visit  thy  lady  last  night?" 
inquired  Mefres. 

"Thou  hast  said  it,  great  prophet." 

"This  is  wonderful!  "  whispered  Mefres  to  the  nomarch. 

The  second  witness  wras  Sarah's  cook,  the  third  her  waiting- 
woman.  Both  declared  that  after  midnight  the  prince  had 
entered  Sarah's  chamber,  stayed  there  awhile,  then  run  out 
quickly  to  the  garden,  and  soon  after  him  appeared  Lady 
Sarah,  screaming  terribly. 

"But  the  prince  remained  all  night  in  his  chamber;  he  did 
not  leave  the  palace,"  said  the  nomarch. 

The  police-officer  shook  his  head,  and  declared  that  some  of 
the  palace  servants  were  waiting  in  the  antechamber. 

They  were  summoned.  Mefres  questioned  them,  and  it 
appeared  that  the  heir  had  not  slept  in  the  palace.  He  had 
left  his  chamber  before  midnight,  and  gone  to  the  garden;  he 
returned  when  the  first  trumpet  sounded. 

When  the  witnesses  had  been  led  out,  and  the  two  dignita 
ries  were  alone,  the  nomarch  threw  himself  on  the  pave 
ment,  and  declared  to  Mefres  that  he  was  grievously  ill,  and 
would  rather  lose  his  life  than  carry  on  investigations.  The 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  381 

high  priest  was  very  pale  and  excited;  but  he  replied  that 
they  must  clear  up  a  question  of  murder,  and  he  commanded 
the  nomarch  in  the  name  of  the  pharaoh  to  go  with  him  to 
Sarah's  dwelling.  It  was  not  far  to  the  garden  of  the  heir, 
and  the  two  dignitaries  soon  found  themselves  at  the  place 
where  the  crime  had  been  committed. 

When  they  entered  the  chamber  on  the  first  story,  they 
saw  Sarah  kneeling  at  the  cradle  in  such  a  posture  as  if  nurs 
ing  the  child.  On  the  wall  and  the  pavement  were  blood 
spots. 

The  nomarch  grew  so  weak  that  he  was  forced  to  sit  down, 
but  Mefres  was  calm.  He  approached  Sarah,  touched  her  arm, 
and  said,  — 

"We  come  hither,  lady,  in  the  name  of  his  holiness." 

Sarah  sprang  to  her  feet  suddenly,  and,  looking  at  Mefres, 
cried  in  a  terrible  voice,  — 

"A  curse  on  you!  Ye  wished  to  have  a  Jew  king,  and  here 
is  the  king  for  you.  Oh,  why  did  I,  unfortunate,  listen  to 
your  traitorous  advice!  " 

She  dropped,  and  fell  again  at  the  side  of  the  cradle, 
groaning,  — 

"My  son  —  my  little  Seti!  How  beautiful  he  was,  —  so  cun 
ning;  just  stretching  out  his  little  hands  to  me!  O  Jehovah! 
give  him  back  to  me,  for  that  is  in  Thy  power.  O  gods  of 
Egypt,  —  Osiris,  Horus,  Isis,  —  O  Isis,  for  thou  too  wert  a 
mother!  It  cannot  be  that  in  the  heavens  there  is  not  one  who 
will  listen  to  my  prayer.  Such  a  dear,  little  child!  A  hyena 
would  have  spared  him  —  " 

The  high  priest  took  her  by  the  arms,  and  put  her  on  her 
feet.  The  police  and  the  servants  filled  the  room. 

"Sarah,"  said  the  high  priest,  "in  the  name  of  his  holiness, 
the  lord  of  Egypt,  I  summon  thee,  and  command  thee  to 
answer,  Who  killed  thy  son?  " 

She  gazed  straight  ahead,  like  a  maniac,  and  rubbed  her 
forehead. 

The  nomarch  gave  her  water  and  wine,  and  one  of  the 
women  present  sprinkled  her  with  vinegar. 

"In  the  name  of  his  holiness,"  repeated  Mefres,  "I  command 
thee,  Sarah,  to  tell  the  name  of  the  murderer." 


382  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Those  present  withdrew  toward  the  door;  the  nomarch  with 
despairing  action  closed  both  his  ears. 

"Who  killed?"  said  Sarah,  in  a  panting  voice,  sinking  her 
gaze  in  the  face  of  Mefres.  "Who  killed,  dost  tlwu  ask?  I 
know  you,  ye  priests!  I  know  your  justice." 

"Then  who  killed?"  insisted  Mefres. 

"I!"  cried  Sarah,  in  an  unearthly  voice.  "I  killed  my 
child,  because  ye  made  him  a  Jew." 

"That  is  false!  "  hissed  the  high  priest. 

"I,  I!  "  repeated  Sarah.  "Hei,  ye  people  who  see  me  and 
hear  me,"  she  turned  to  the  witnesses,  "ye  know  that  I  killed 
him — I —  I  —  I!"  cried  she,  beating  her  breast. 

At  such  an  explicit  accusation  of  herself  the  nomarch  re 
covered,  and  looked  with  compassion  on  Sarah;  the  women 
sobbed,  the  doorkeeper  wiped  away  tears.  But  the  holy 
Mefres  closed  his  blue  lips  firmly.  At  last  he  said,  with 
emphatic  voice,  while  looking  at  the  police  official,  — 

"Servants  of  his  holiness,  I  surrender  this  woman,  whom 
ye  are  to  conduct  to  the  edifice  of  justice  — 

"But  my  son  with  me!"  interrupted  Sarah,  rushing  to  the 
cradle. 

"With  thee,  with  thee,  poor  woman,"  said  the  nomarch;  and 
he  covered  his  face. 

The  dignitaries  went  out  of  the  chamber.  The  police  officer 
had  a  litter  brought,  and  with  marks  of  the  highest  respect 
conducted  Sarah  down  to  it.  The  unfortunate  woman  seized 
a  blood-stained  bundle  from  the  cradle,  and  took  a  seat, 
without  resistance,  in  the  litter. 

All  the  servants  went  after  her  to  the  chamber  of  justice. 

When  Mefres,  with  the  nomarch,  was  passing  through  the 
garden,  the  nomarch  said,  — 

"I  have  compassion  on  that  woman." 

"She  will  be  punished  properly  for  lying,"  answered  the 
high  priest. 

"Dost  thou  think  so,  worthiness?" 

"I  am  certain  that  the  gods  will  discover  and  punish  the 
real  murderer." 

At  the  garden  gate  the  steward  of  Kama's  villa  stood  in  the 
road  before  them. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  383 

"The  Phoenician  woman  is  gone.  She  disappeared  last 
night." 

"A  new  misfortune,"  whispered  the  nomarch. 

"Have  no  fear,"  said  Me f res;  "she  followed  the  prince." 

From  these  answers  the  worthy  nomarch  saw  that  Mefres 
hated  the  prince,  and  his  heart  sank  in  him.  If  they  proved 
that  Rameses  had  killed  his  own  son,  the  heir  would  never 
ascend  the  throne  of  his  fathers,  and  the  heavy  yoke  of  the 
priesthood  would  weigh  down  still  more  mightily  on  Egypt. 

The  sadness  of  the  nomarch  increased  when  they  told  him  in 
the  evening  that  two  physicians  of  the  temple  of  Hator,  when 
looking  at  the  corpse  of  the  infant,  had  expressed  the  opinion 
that  only  a  man  could  have  committed  the  murder.  Some  man, 
said  they,  seized  with  his  right  hand  the  feet  of  the  little  boy, 
and  broke  his  skull  against  the  wall  of  the  building.  Sarah's, 
hand  could  not  clasp  both  legs,  on  which,  moreover,  were  traces 
of  large  fingers. 

After  this  explanation  Mefres,  in  company  with  the  high 
priest  Sem,  went  to  Sarah  in  the  prison,  and  implored  her  by 
all  the  gods  of  Egypt  and  of  foreign  lands  to  declare  that  she 
was  not  guilty  of  the  death  of  the  child,  and  to  describe  the 
person  of  the  murderer. 

"We  will  believe  thy  word,"  said  Mefres,  "and  thou  wilt  be 
free  immediately." 

But  Sarah,  instead  of  being  moved  by  this  proof  of  friend 
liness,  fell  into  anger. 

"Jackals,"  cried  she,  "two victims  are  not  enough;  ye  want 
still  more.  I,  unfortunate  woman,  did  this;  I,  — for  who  else 
would  be  so  abject  as  to  kill  a  child  —  a  little  child  that  had 
never  harmed  any  one  ?  " 

"But  dost  thou  know,  stubborn  woman,  what  threatens 
thee?"  asked  the  holy  Mefres.  "Thou  wilt  hold  the  remains 
of  thy  child  for  three  days  in  thy  arms,  and  then  be  fifteen 
years  in  prison." 

"Only  three  days?"  repeated  Sarah.  "But  I  would  never 
part  with  my  little  Seti;  and  not  only  to  prison,  but  to  the 
grave  will  I  go  with  him,  and  my  lord  will  command  to  bury 
us  together." 

When  the  high  priest  left  Sarah,  the  most  pious  Sem  said,  — 


384  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"I  have  seen  mothers  who  killed  their  own  children,  and  I 
have  judged  them;  but  none  were  like  her." 

"For  she  did  not  kill  her  child,"  answered  Mefres,  angrily. 

uWho,  then?" 

"He  whom  the  servants  saw  when  he  rushed  into  Sarah's 
house  and  fled  a  moment  later;  he  who,  when  going  against 
the  enemy,  took  with  him  the  priestess  Kama,  who  denied  the 
altar;  he,"  concluded  Mefres,  excitedly,  "who  hunted  Sarah 
out  of  the  house,  and  made  her  a  slave  because  her  son  had 
been  made  a  Jew." 

"Thy  words  are  terrible,"  answered  Sem,  in  alarm. 

"The  criminal  is  still  worse,  and,  in  spite  of  that  stupid 
woman's  stubbornness,  he  will  be  discovered." 

But  the  holy  man  did  not  suppose  that  his  prophecy  would 
be  accomplished  so  quickly. 

And  it  was  accomplished  in  the  following  manner:  — 
Prince  Rarneses,  when  moving  from  Pi-Bast  with  the  army, 
had  not  left  the  palace  when  the  chief  of  the  police  learned  of 
the  murder  of  Sarah's  child,  and  the  flight  of  Kama,  and  this, 
too,  — that  Sarah's  servants  saw  the  prince  entering  her  house 
in  the  night  time.  The  chief  of  police  was  a  very  keen  per 
son;  he  pondered  over  this  question,  Who  could  have  com 
mitted  the  crime?  and  instead  of  inquiring  on  the  spot,  he 
hastened  to  pursue  the  guilty  parties  outside  the  city,  and 
forewarned  Hiram  of  what  had  happened. 

While  Mefres  was  trying  to  extort  a  confession  from  Sarah, 
the  most  active  agents  of  the  Pi-Bast  police,  and  with  them 
every  Phrenician  under  the  leadership  of  Hiram,  were  hunting 
the  Greek  Lykon  and  the  priestess  Kama. 

So  three  nights  after  the  prince  had  departed,  the  chief  of 
police  returned  to  Pi-Bast,  bringing  with  him  a  large  cage 
covered  with  linen,  in  which  was  some  woman  who  screamed 
in  heaven-piercing  accents.  'Without  lying  down  to  sleep,  the 
chief  summoned  the  officer  who  had  made  the  investigation, 
and  listened  to  his  report  attentively. 

At  sunrise  the  two  priests,  Sem  and  Mefres,  with  the 
nomarch  of  Pi-Bast,  received  a  most  humble  invitation  to  deign 
immediately,  should  such  be  their  will,  to  come  to  the  chief  of 
police.  In  fact,  all  three  entered  at  the  very  same  moment; 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  385 

so  the  chief,  bending  low,  implored  them  to  tell  all  that  they 
knew  concerning  the  murder  of  the  sou  of  the  viceroy. 

The  nomarch,  though  a  great  dignitary,  grew  pale  when  he 
heard  the  humble  invitation,  and  answered  that  he  knew  noth 
ing.  The  high  priest  Sem  gave  almost  the  same  answer,  adding, 
for  himself,  the  reflection  that  Sarah  seemed  to  him  innocent. 

When  the  turn  came  to  the  holy  Mefres,  he  said,  — 

"I  know  not  whether  thou  hast  heard,  worthiness,  that  during 
the  night  of  the  crime  one  of  the  prince's  women  escaped  ;  her 
name  was  Kama." 

The  chief  of  police  feigned  to  be  greatly  astonished. 

"I  know  not,"  continued  "Mefres,  "whether  they  have  told 
thee  that  the  heir  did  not  pass  the  night  in  the  palace,  but  was 
in  Sarah's  house.  The  doorkeeper  and  two  servants  recog 
nized  him,  for  the  night  was  rather  clear.  It  is  a  great  pity," 
finished  the  high  priest,  "that  thou  hast  not  been  here  these 
two  days  past." 

The  chief  bowed  very  low  to  Mefres,  and  turned  to  the 
nomarch,  — 

"  Wouldst  thou  be  pleased,  worthiness,  to  tell  me,  graciously, 
how  the  prince  was  dressed  that  evening?" 

"He  wore  a  white  jacket,  and  a  purple  apron  with  gold 
fringe,"  answered  the  nomarch.  "  I  remember  very  well,  for 
that  evening  I  was  one  of  the  last  who  spoke  with  him." 

The  chief  of  the  police  clapped  his  hands,  and  Sarah's  door 
keeper  entered  the  chamber. 

"Didst  thou  see  the  prince,"  inquired  he, "when  he  came  in 
the  night  to  the  house  of  thy  lady?" 

"I  opened  the  door  to  his  worthiness,  — may  he  live  through 
eternity!  " 

"And  dost  thou  remember  how  he  was  dressed?  " 

"He  wore  a  jacket  with  yellow  and  black  stripes,  a  cap  of 
the  same  colors,  and  a  blue  and  red  apron,"  answered  the 
doorkeeper. 

Both  priests  and  the  nomarch  began  to  wonder. 

Then  they  brought  in  Sarah's  servants,  who  repeated  exactly 
the  same  description  of  the  prince's  dress.  The  nomarch's 
eyes  flashed  with  delight,  but  on  the  face  of  the  holy  Mefres 
confusion  was  evident. 

25 


386  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"I  will  swear,"  put  in  the  worthy  nomarch,  "that  the  prince 
wore  a  white  jacket  and  a  purple  apron  with  gold  fringe." 

"Now,  most  worthy  men,"  said  the  chief  of  police,  "be 
pleased  to  come  with  me  to  the  prison.  There  we  shall  see  one 
more  witness." 

They  went  to  a  subterranean  hall,  where  under  a  window 
stood  a  great  cage  covered  with  linen.  The  chief  threw  back 
the  linen  with  his  stick,  and  those  present  saw  a  woman  lying 
in  a  corner. 

"  But  this  is  the  Lady  Kama !  "  cried  the  nomarch. 

It  was  indeed  Kama,  sick  and  changed  very  greatly.  When 
she  rose  at  sight  of  the  dignitaries,  and  appeared  in  the  light, 
those  present  saw  that  her  face  had  bronze-colored  spots  on  it. 
Her  eyes  seemed  wandering. 

"  Kama,"  said  the  chief,  "  the  goddess  Astaroth  has  touched 
thee  with  leprosy." 

"  It  was  not  the  goddess !  "  said  she,  with  a  changed  voice. 
u  It  was  the  low  Asiatics,  who  threw  in  a  tainted  veil  to  me. 
Oh,  I  am  unfortunate  !  " 

"  Kama,"  continued  the  chief,  "  our  most  famous  high 
priests,  Sem  and  Mefres,  have  taken  compassion  on  thee. 
If  thou  wilt  tell  the  truth,  they  will  pray  for  thee,  and  perhaps 
the  all-mighty  Osiris  will  turn  from  thee  misfortune.  There  is 
still  time,  the  disease  is  only  beginning,  and  our  gods  have 
great  power." 

The  sick  woman  fell  on  her  knees,  and  pressing  her  face 
against  the  grating,  said  in  a  broken  voice,  — 

"Have  compassion  on  me!  I  have  renounced  Phoenician 
gods,  and  to  the  end  of  life  will  serve  the  gods  of  Egypt. 
Only  avert  from  me  —  " 

"  Answer,  but  answer  truly,"  said  the  chief,  "  and  the  gods 
will  not  refuse  thee  their  favor.  Who  killed  the  child  of  the 
Jewess  Sarah  ?  " 

"  The  traitor,  Lykon,  the  Greek.  He  was  a  singer  in  our 
temple,  and  said  that  he  loved  me.  But  he  has  rejected  me, 
the  infamous  traitor,  and  seized  my  jewels." 

"  Why  did  Lykon  kill  the  child?  " 

"  He  wanted  to  kill  the  prince,  but  not  finding  him  in  the 
palace,  he  ran  to  Sarah's  villa." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  387 

"  How  did  the  criminal  enter  a  house  that  was  guarded?  " 

"Dost  thou  not  know  that  Lykon  resembles  the  prince? 
They  are  as  much  alike  as  two  leaves  of  one  palm-tree." 

"  How  was  Lykon  dressed  that  night?  " 

"  He  wore  a  jacket  in  yellow  and  black  stripes,  a  cap  of  the 
same  material,  and  a  red  and  blue  apron .  Do  not  torment  me ; 
return  me  my  health !  Be  compassionate  !  I  will  be  faithful 
to  your  gods  !  Are  ye  going  already?  Oh,  hard-hearted!  " 

"Poor  woman,"  said  the  high  priest  Sem,  "I  will  send  to 
thee  a  mighty  worker  of  miracles  ;  he  may  —  " 

"May  ye  be  blessed  by  Astaroth  !  No,  may  your  almighty 
and  compassionate  gods  bless  you,"  whispered  Kama,  in 
dreadful  weariness. 

The  dignitaries  left  the  prison  and  returned  to  the  upper 
hall.  The  nomarch,  seeing  that  the  high  priest  Mefres  kept 
his  eyes  cast  down  and  his  lips  fixed,  asked  him,  — 

4 'Art  thou  not  rejoiced,  holy  man,  at  these  wonderful  dis 
coveries  made  by  our  chief?" 

"  I  have  no  reason  to  rejoice,"  answered  Mefres,  dryly. 
"The  case,  instead  of  being  simplified,  has  grown  difficult. 
Sarah  asserts  that  she  killed  the  child,  while  the  Phoenician 
woman  answers  as  if  some  one  had  taught  her  —  " 

"  Then  dost  thou  not  believe,  worthiness?"  interrupted  the 
chief. 

"  No,  for  I  have  never  seen  two  men  so  much  alike  that  one 
could  be  mistaken  for  the  other.  Still  more,  I  have  never 
heard  that  there  exists  in  Pi-Bast  a  man  who  could  counterfeit 
our  viceroy,  —  may  he  live  through  eternity !  " 

"  That  man,"  said  the  chief,  u  was  in  Pi-Bast,  at  the  temple 
of  Astaroth.  The  Tyrian  Prince  Hiram  knew  him,  and  our 
viceroy  has  seen  him  with  his  own  eyes.  More  than  that,  not 
long  ago,  he  commanded  me  to  seize  him,  and  even  offered  a 
large  reward." 

"Ho!  ho!"  cried  Mefres,  "I  see,  worthy  chief,  —  I  see 
that  the  highest  secrets  of  the  state  are  concentrating  about 
thee.  But  permit  me  not  to  believe  in  that  Lykon  till  I  see 
him." 

And  he  left  the  hall  in  anger,  and  after  him  Sem,  shrugging 
his  shoulders.  But  when  their  steps  had  ceased  to  sound  in 


388  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

the    corridor,    the    nomarch,    looking    quickly    at    the    chief, 
asked,  — 

"  What  dost  thou  think?  " 

"  Indeed,"  said  the  chief,  "  the  holy  prophets  are  beginning 
to  interfere  in  things  which  have  never  been  under  their 
jurisdiction." 

"  And  we  must  endure  this!  "  whispered  the  nomarch. 

"  For  a  time  only,"  sighed  the  chief.  "In  so  far  as  I  know 
men's  hearts,  all  the  military,  all  the  officials  of  his  holiness,  in 
fine,  all  the  aristocracy,  are  indignant  at  this  priestly  tyranny. 
Everything  must  have  its  limit." 

"  Thou  hast  uttered  great  words,"  said  the  nomarch,  press 
ing  the  chief's  hand,  "  and  some  internal  voice  tells  me  that  I 
shall  see  thee  as  supreme  chief  of  police  at  the  side  of  his 
holiness." 

A  couple  of  days  passed.  During  this  time  the  dissectors 
had  secured  from  corruption  the  remains  of  the  viceroy's  son ; 
but  Sarah  continued  in  prison,  awaiting  her  trial,  certain  that 
she  would  be  condemned. 

Kama  was  sitting,  also,  confined  in  her  cage ;  people  feared 
her,  for  she  was  infected  with  leprosy.  It  is  true  that  a 
miracle-working  physician  visited  her,  repeated  prayers  before 
her,  gave  her  everything  to  drink,  and  gave  her  healing  water. 
Still,  fever  did  not  leave  the  woman,  and  the  bronze-colored 
spots  on  her  cheeks  and  brows  grew  more  definite.  Therefore 
an  order  came  from  the  nomarch  to  take  her  out  to  the  eastern 
desert,  where,  separated  from  mankind,  dwelt  a  colony  of 
lepers. 

On  a  certain  evening  the  chief  appeared  at  the  temple  of 
Ptah,  saying  that  he  wished  to  speak  with  the  high  priest. 
The  chief  had  with  him  two  agents,  and  a  man  covered  from 
head  to  foot  in  a  bag. 

After  a  while  an  answer  was  sent  to  the  chief  that  the  high 
priests  were  awaiting  him  in  the  sacred  chamber  of  the  statue 
of  their  divinity. 

The  chief  left  the  agents  before  the  gate,  took  by  the  arm 
the  man  dressed  in  the  bag,  and,  conducted  by  a  priest,  went 
to  the  sacred  chamber.  When  he  entered,  he  found  Mefres  and 
Sem  arrayed  as  high  priests,  with  silver  plates  on  their  bosoms. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  389 

He  fell  before  them  on  the  pavement,  and  said,  — 

"  In  accordance  with  your  commands,  I  bring  to  you,  holy 
fathers,  the  criminal  Lykon.  Do  ye  wish  to  see  his  face?" 

When  they  assented,  the  chief  rose,  and  pulled  the  bag  from 
the  man  standing  near  him. 

Both  high  priests  cried  out  with  astonishment.  The  Greek 
was  really  so  like  Rameses  that  it  was  impossible  to  resist  the 
deception. 

"  Thou  art  Lykon,  the  singer  from  the  temple  of  Astaroth?" 
asked  the  holy  Sem  of  the  bound  Greek. 

Lykon  smiled  contemptuously. 

"  And  didst  thou  kill  the  child  of  the  prince?  "  added  Mefres. 

The  Greek  grew  blue  from  rage,  and  strove  to  tear  off  his 
bonds. 

4 'Yes!  "  cried  he,  "  I  killed  the  whelp,  for  I  could  not  find 
the  wolf,  his  father,  —  may  heaven's  blazes  burn  him !  " 

"  In  what  has  the  prince  offended  thee,  criminal?  "  asked  the 
indignant  Sem. 

"  In  what?  He  seized  from  me  Kama,  and  plunged  her  into 
a  disease  for  which  there  is  no  remedy.  I  was  free,  I  might 
have  fled  with  life  and  property,  but  I  resolved  to  avenge 
myself,  and  now  ye  have  me.  It  was  his  luck  that  your  gods 
are  mightier  than  my  hatred.  Now  ye  may  kill  me ;  the 
sooner  ye  do  so,  the  better." 

u  This  is  a  great  criminal,"  said  Sem. 

Mefres  was  silent  and  gazed  into  the  Greek's  eyes,  which 
were  burning  with  rage.  He  admired  his  courage,  and  fell  to 
thinking.  All  at  once  he  said  to  the  chief,  — 

u  Worthy  sir,  thou  mayst  go,  this  man  belongs  to  us." 

"This  man,"  replied  the  chief,  who  was  indignant,  t;  belongs 
to  me.  I  seized  him  and  I  shall  receive  a  reward  from  Prince 
Rameses." 

Mefres  rose  and  drew  forth  from  under  his  mantle  a  gold 
medal. 

u  In  the  name  of  the  supreme  council,  of  which  I  am  a 
member,"  said  he,  "I  command  thee  to  yield  this  man  to  us. 
Remember  that  his  existence  is  among  the  highest  state  secrets, 
and  indeed  it  would  be  a  hundred  times  better  for  thee  to  for 
get  that  thou  hast  left  him  here." 


390  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  chief  fell  again  to  the  pavement,  and  went  out  repressing 
his  anger. 

"  Our  lord  the  prince  will  repay  you  when  he  is  the  pha- 
raoh  !  "  thought  he.  u  And  he  will  pay  you  my  part  —  ye  will 
see." 

"  Where  is  the  prisoner?"  asked  the  agents  standing  before 
the  gate. 

u  In  prison,"  answered  the  chief;  "the  hands  of  the  gods 
have  rested  on  him." 

"  And  our  reward?  "  asked  the  elder  agent. 

"The  hands  of  the  gods  have  rested  on  your  reward  also. 
Imagine  then  to  yourselves  that  ye  saw  that  prisoner  only  in  a 
dream,  ye  will  be  safer  in  health  and  in  service." 

The  agents  dropped  their  heads  in  silence.  But  in  their 
hearts  they  swore  vengeance  against  the  priests,  who  had 
taken  a  handsome  reward  from  them. 

After  the  chief  had  gone  Mefres  summoned  a  number  of 
priests,  and  whispered  something  into  the  ears  of  the  eldest. 
The  priests  surrounded  the  Greek  and  conducted  him  out  of 
the  chamber.  Lykon  made  no  resistance. 

"  I  think,"  said  Sem,  "  that  this  man  should  be  brought 
before  the  court  as  a  murderer." 

"Never!"  cried  Mefres,  with  decision.  "On  this  man 
weighs  an  incomparably  greater  crime,  he  is  like  the  heir  to 
the  throne." 

"  And  what  wilt  thou  do  with  him,  worthiness?" 

"  I  will  reserve  him  for  the  supreme  council,"  said  Mefres. 
"  When  the  heir  to  the  throne  visits  pagan  temples  and  steals 
from  them  women,  when  the  country  is  threatened  with  danger 
of  war,  and  the  power  of  the  priests  with  rebellion,  Lykon  may 
be  of  service." 

On  the  following  midday  the  high  priest  Sem,  the  nomarch, 
and  the  chief  of  police  went  to  Sarah's  prison.  The  unfortunate 
woman  had  not  eaten  for  a  number  of  days,  and  was  so  wealf 
that  she  did  not  rise  from  the  bench  even  in  presence  of  so 
many  dignitaries. 

"  Sarah,"  said  the  nomarch,  whom  she  had  known  before, 
"we  bring  thee  good  news." 

"  News,"  repeated  she  with  a  pathetic  voice.     "My  son  is 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  391 

not  living,  that  is  the  news ;  my  breast  is  fall  of  nourishment, 
but  my  heart  is  full  of  sadness." 

"Sarah,"  said  the  nomarch,  "  thou  art  free.  Thou  didst 
not  kill  thy  child." 

Her  seemingly  dead  features  revived.  She  sprang  from  the 
bench,  and  cried,  — 

"I  — I  killed  him  — only  I." 

"Consider,  Sarah,  a  man  killed  thy  son,  a  Greek,  named 
Lykon,  the  lover  of  the  Phoenician  Kama." 

"  What  dost  thou  say  ?  "  whispered  she,  seizing  the  nomarch's 
hands.  "Oh,  that  Phoenician  woman !  I  knew  that  she  would 
ruin  us.  But  the  Greek?  I  know  no  Greek.  How  could  my 
son  offend  any  man?" 

"  I  know  not,"  continued  the  nomarch.  "  That  Greek  is  no 
longer  alive.  But  that  man  was  so  like  Prince  Rameses  that 
when  he  entered  thy  chamber  thou  didst  think  him  our  lord. 
And  thou  hast  preferred  to  accuse  thy  own  self  rather  than  our 
lord,  and  thine." 

"Then  that  was  not  Rameses?  "  cried  she,  seizing  her  head. 
"  And  I,  wretched  woman,  let  a  strange  man  take  my  son  from 
his  cradle.  Ha!  ha!  ha!" 

Then  she  laughed  more  and  more.  On  a  sudden,  as  if  her 
legs  had  been  cut  from  under  her,  she  fell  to  the  floor,  her 
hands  hopped  a  couple  of  times,  and  she  died  in  hysteric 
laughter. 

But  on  her  face  remained  an  expression  of  sorrow  which 
even  death  could  not  drive  from  it. 


CHAPTER   XLII 

THE  western  boundary  of  Egypt  for  a  distance  of  more 
than  a  hundred  geographic  miles  is  composed  of  a  wall 
of  naked  limestone  hills  about  two  hundred  metres  high,  inter 
sected  by  ravines.     They  run  parallel  to  the  Nile,  from  which 
they  are  sometimes  five  miles  distant,  sometimes  one  kilometre. 
Whoso  should  clamber  up  one  of  these  hills  and  turn  his  face 
northward  would  see  one  of  the  strangest  sights  possible.     He 
would  have  on  his  right  hand  the  narrow  but  green  plain  cut 


392  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

lengthwise  by  the  Nile ;  on  his  left  he  would  see  an  endless 
yellow  open  region,  varied  by  spots,  white  or  brick  colored. 

Monotony,  the  irritating  yellow  color  of  the  sand  plain,  the 
heat,  and,  above  all,  boundless  immensity,  are  the  most  peculiar 
traits  of  the  Libyan  desert,  which  extends  westward  from 
Egypt. 

But  viewed  more  nearly  the  desert  is  in  fact  less  monotonous. 
Its  sand  is  not  level,  but  forms  a  series  of  swellings  which 
recall  immense  waves  of  water.  It  is  like  a  roused  sea  solidified 
on  a  sudden.  But  whoso  should  have  the  courage  to  go  across 
that  sea  for  an  hour,  two  hours,  a  day,  directly  westward  would 
see  a  new  sight.  On  the  horizon  would  appear  eminences,  some 
times  cliffs  and  rocks  of  the  strangest  outlines.  Under  foot  the 
sand  would  grow  thinner,  and  from  beneath  it  limestone  rocks 
wrould  emerge  just  like  land  out  of  water. 

In  fact  that  was  a  land,  or  even  a  country  in  the  midst  of  a 
sand  ocean.  Around  the  limestone  hills  were  valleys,  in  them 
the  beds  of  streams  and  rivers,  farther  on  a  plain,  and  in  the 
middle  of  it  a  lake  with  a  bending  line  of  shores  and  a  sunken 
bottom. 

But  on  these  plains,  hills,  and  heights  no  blade  of  grass 
grows ;  in  the  lake  there  is  no  drop  of  water ;  along  the  bed  of 
the  river  no  current  moves.  That  is  a  landscape,  even  greatly 
varied  with  respect  to  forms,  but  a  landscape  from  which  all 
water  has  departed,  —  the  very  last  atom  of  moisture  has  dried 
from  it;  a  dead  landscape,  where  not  only  all  vegetation  has 
vanished,  but  even  the  fertile  stratum  of  earth  has  been 
ground  into  dust  or  dried  up  into  rock  slabs. 

In  those  places  the  most  ghastly  event  has  taken  place  of 
which  it  is  possible  to  meditate :  Nature  has  died  there,  and 
nothing  remains  but  her  dust  and  her  skeleton,  which  heat 
dissolves  to  the  last  degree,  and  burning  wind  tosses  from 
spot  to  spot. 

Beyond  this  dead,  unburied  region  stretches  again  a  sea  of 
sand,  on  which  are  seen,  here  and  there,  towering  up  in  one 
and  another  place,  pointed  stacks  as  high  as  a  house  of  one 
story.  Each  summit  of  such  a  little  hill  is  crowned  by  a  small 
bunch  of  gray,  fine,  dusty  leaves,  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  say 
that  they  are  living;  but  it  may  be  said  that  they  cannot  wither. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  393 

One  of  these  strange  stacks  signifies  that  water  in  that  place 
has  not  dried  up  altogether,  but  has  hidden  from  drought 
beneath  the  earth,  and  preserves  dampness  in  some  way.  On 
that  spot  a  tamarind  seed  fell,  and  the  plant  has  begun  to 
grow  with  endless  effort. 

But  Typhon,  the  lord  of  the  desert,  has  noted  this,  and 
begun  to  stifle  it  with  sand.  And  the  more  the  little  plant 
pushes  upward,  the  higher  rises  the  stack  of  sand  which  is 
choking  it.  That  tamarind  which  has  wandered  into  the 
desert  looks  like  a  drowning  man  raising  his  arms,  in  vain, 
heavenward. 

And  again  the  yellow  boundless  ocean  stretches  on  with  its 
sand  waves  and  those  fragments  of  the  plant  world  which  have 
not  the  power  to  perish.  All  at  once  a  rocky  wall  is  in  front, 
and  in  it  clefts,  which  serve  as  gateways. 

The  incredible  is  before  us.  Beyond  one  of  these  gateways 
a  broad  green  plain  appears,  a  multitude  of  palms,  the  blue 
waters  of  a  lake.  Even  sheep  are  seen  pasturing,  with  cattle 
and  horses.  From  afar,  on  the  sides  of  a  cliff,  towers  up  a 
town;  on  the  summit  of  the  cliff  are  the  white  walls  of  a  temple. 

That  is  an  oasis,  or  island  in  the  sand  ocean. 

In  the  time  of  the  pharaohs  there  were  many  such  oases, 
perhaps  some  tens  of  them.  They  formed  a  chain  of  islands 
in  the  desert,  along  the  western  boundary  of  Egypt.  They  lay 
at  a  distance  of  ten,  fifteen,  or  twenty  geographic  miles  from 
the  Nile,  and  varied  in  size  from  a  few  to  a  few  tens  of  square 
kilometres  in  area. 

Celebrated  by  Arab  poets,  these  oases  were  never  really  the 
forecourts  of  paradise.  Their  lakes  are  swamps  for  the  greater 
part;  from  their  underground  sources  flow  waters  which  are 
warm,  sometimes  of  evil  odor,  and  disgustingly  brackish; 
their  vegetation  could  not  compare  with  the  Egyptian.  Still, 
these  lonely  places  seemed  a  miracle  to  \vanderers  in  the 
desert,  who  found  in  them  a  little  green  for  the  eye,  a  trifle  of 
coolness,  dampness,  and  some  dates  also. 

The  population  of  these  islands  in  the  sand  ocean  varied 
from  a  few  hundred  persons  to  numbers  between  ten  and 
twenty  thousand,  according  to  area.  These  people  were  all 
adventurers  or  their  descendants,  —  Europeans,  Libyans, 


394  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Ethiopians.  To  the  desert  fled  people  who  had  nothing  to 
lose,  —  convicts  from  the  quarries,  criminals  pursued  by  police, 
earth-tillers  escaping  from  tribute,  or  laborers  who  left  hard 
work  for  danger.  The  greater  part  of  these  fugitives  died  on 
the  sand  ocean.  Some  of  them,  after  sufferings  beyond  de 
scription,  were  able  to  reach  the  oases,  where  they  passed  a 
wretched  life,  but  a  free  one,  and  they  were  ready  at  all  times 
to  fall  upon  Egypt  for  the  sake  of  an  outlaw's  recompense. 

Between  the  desert  and  the  Mediterranean  extended  a  very 
long,  though  not  very  wide  strip  of  fruitful  soil,  inhabited 
by  tribes  which  the  Egyptians  called  Libyans.  Some  of  these 
worked  at  land  tilling,  others  at  navigation  and  fishing;  in 
each  tribe,  however,  was  a  crowd  of  wild  people,  who  pre 
ferred  plunder,  theft,  and  warfare  to  regular  labor.  That 
bandit  population  was  perishing  always  between  poverty  and 
warlike  adventure;  but  it  was  also  recruited  by  an  influx  of 
Sicilians  and  Sardinians,  who  at  that  time  were  greater  robbers 
and  barbarians  than  were  the  native  Libyans. 

Since  Libya  touched  the  western  boundary  of  Lower  Egypt, 
barbarians  made  frequent  inroads  on  the  territory  of  his  holi 
ness,  and  were  terribly  punished.  Convinced  at  last  that  war 
with  Libyans  was  resultless,  the  pharaohs,  or,  more  accu 
rately,  the  priesthood,  decided  on  another  system :  real  Libyan 
families  were  permitted  to  settle  in  the  swamps  of  Lower 
Egypt,  near  the  seacoast,  while  adventurers  and  bandits  were 
enlisted  in  the  army,  and  became  splendid  warriors. 

In  this  way  the  state  secured  peace  on  the  western  boundary. 
To  keep  single  Libyan  robbers  in  order  police  were  sufficient, 
with  a  field  guard  and  a  few  regiments  of  regulars  disposed 
along  the  Canopus  arm  of  the  great  river. 

Such  a  condition  of  affairs  lasted  almost  two  centuries;  the 
last  war  with  the  Libyans  was  carried  on  by  Rameses  III., 
who  cut  enormous  piles  of  hands  from  his  slain  enemies,  and 
brought  thirteen  thousand  slaves  home  to  Egypt.  From  that 
time  forth  no  one  feared  attack  on  the  Libyan  boundary,  and 
only  toward  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Rameses  XII.  did  the 
strange  policy  of  the  priests  kindle  the  flame  of  war  again  in 
those  regions. 

Itburst  out  through  the  following  causes: — • 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  395 

Hi9  worthiness,  Herhor,  the  minister  of  war,  and  high 
priest  of  Amon,  because  of  resistance  from  his  holiness  the 
pharaoh,  was  unable  to  conclude  with  Assyria  a  treaty  for 
the  division  of  Asia.  But  wishing,  as  Beroes  had  forewarned 
him,  to  keep  a  more  continued  peace  with  Assyria,  Herhor 
assured  Sargon  that  Egypt  would  not  hinder  them  from  carry 
ing  on  a  war  with  eastern  and  northern  Asiatics. 

And  since  Sargon,  the  ambassador  of  King  Assar,  seemed 
not  to  trust  their  oaths,  Herhor  decided  to  give  him  a  mate 
rial  proof  of  friendly  feeling,  and,  with  this  object,  ordered  to 
disband  at  once  twenty  thousand  mercenaries,  mainly  Libyans. 

For  those  disbanded  warriors,  who  were  in  no  way  guilty 
and  had  been  always  loyal,  this  decision  almost  equalled  a 
death  sentence.  Before  Egypt  appeared  the  danger  of  a  war 
with  Libya,  which  could  in  no  case  give  refuge  to  men  in  such 
numbers,  —  men  accustomed  only  to  comforts  and  military  ex 
ercise,  not  to  poverty  and  labor.  But  in  view  of  great  ques 
tions  of  state,  Herhor  and  the  priests  did  not  hesitate  at  trifles. 

Indeed,  the  disbanding  of  the  Libyans  brought  them  much 
advantage. 

First  of  all,  Sargon  and  his  associates  signed  and  swore  to 
a  treaty  of  ten  years  with  the  pharaoh,  during  which  time, 
according  to  predictions  of  priests  in  Chaldea,  evil  fates  were 
impending  over  Egypt. 

Second,  the  disbanding  of  twenty  thousand  men  spared 
four  thousand  talents  to  the  treasury;  this  was  greatly 
important. 

Third,  a  war  with  Libya  on  the  western  boundary  was  an 
outlet  for  the  heroic  instincts  of  the  viceroy,  and  might  turn 
his  attention  from  Asiatic  questions  and  the  eastern  boundary 
for  a  long  time.  His  worthiness  Herhor  and  the  supreme 
council  had  calculated  very  keenly  that  some  years  would  pass 
before  the  Libyans,  trained  in  petty  warfare,  would  ask  for 
peace  with  Egypt. 

The  plan  was  well  constructed,  but  the  authors  of  it  failed 
in  one  point;  they  had  not  found  Rameses  a  military  genius. 

The  disbanded  Libyan  regiments  robbed  along  the  way,  and 
reached  their  birthplace  very  quickly,  —  all  the  more  quickly 
since  Herhor  had  given  no  command  to  place  obstacles  before 


396  THE    PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

them.  The  very  first  of  the  disbanded  men,  when  they  stood 
on  Libyan  soil,  told  wonders  to  their  relatives. 

According  to  their  stories,  dictated  by  anger  and  personal 
interest,  Egypt  was  then  as  weak  as  when  the  Hyksos  invaded 
it  nine  hundred  years  earlier.  The  pharaolTs  treasury  was  so 
poor  that  he,  the  equal  of  the  gods,  had  to  disband  them,  the 
Libyans,  who  were  the  chief,  if  not  the  only  honor  of  the  army. 
Moreover,  there  was  hardly  any  army  unless  a  mere  band  on 
the  eastern  boundary,  and  that  was  formed  of  warriors  of  a 
common  order. 

Besides,  there  was  dissension  between  the  priesthood  and 
his  holiness.  The  laborers  had  not  received  their  wages,  and 
the  earth  tillers  were  simply  killed  through  taxes,  therefore 
masses  of  men  were  ready  to  rebel  if  they  could  only  find 
assistance.  And  that  was  not  the  whole  case,  for  the  nomarchs, 
who  ruled  once  independently,  and  who  from  time  to  time  de 
manded  their  rights  again,  seeing  now  the  weakness  of  the 
government,  were  preparing  to  overturn  both  the  pharaoh  and 
the  supreme  priestly  council. 

These  tidings  flew,  like  a  flock  of  birds,  along  the  Libyan 
boundary,  and  found  credit  quickly.  Those  barbarians  and 
bandits  ever  ready  to  attack,  were  all  the  more  ready  then, 
when  ex-warriors  and  officers  of  his  holiness  assured  them 
that  to  plunder  Egypt  was  easy. 

Rich  and  thoughtful  Libyans  believed  the  disbanded  men 
also ;  for  during  many  years  it  had  been  to  them  no  secret  that 
Egyptian  nobles  were  losing  wealth  yearly,  that  the  pharaoh 
had  no  power,  and  that  earth-tillers  and  laborers  rebelled  be 
cause  they  suffered. 

And  so  excitement  burst  out  through  all  Libya.  People 
greeted  the  disbanded  warriors  and  officers  as  heralds  of  good 
tidings.  And  since  the  country  was  poor,  and  had  no  supplies 
to  nourish  visitors,  a  war  with  Egypt  was  decided  on  straight 
way,  so  as  to  send  off  the  new  arrivals  at  the  earliest. 

Even  the  wise  and  crafty  Libyan  prince,  Musawasa,  let 
himself  be  swept  away  by  the  general  current.  It  was  not, 
however,  the  disbanded  warriors  who  had  convinced  him,  but 
certain  grave  and  weighty  persons  who,  in  every  likelihood, 
were  agents  of  the  chief  Egyptian  council. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  397 

These  dignitaries,  as  if  dissatisfied  with  things  in  Egypt, 
or  offended  at  the  pharaoh  and  the  priesthood,  had  come  to 
Libya  from  the  seashore;  they  took  no  part  in  conversations, 
they  avoided  meetings  with  disbanded  warriors,  and  explained 
to  Musawasa,  as  the  greatest  secret,  and  with  proofs  in  hand, 
that  that  was  just  his  time  to  fall  on  Egypt. 

"Thou  wilt  find  there  endless  wealth,"  said  they,  "and 
granaries  for  thyself,  thy  people,  and  the  grandsons  of  thy 
grandsons." 

Musawasa,  though  a  skilful  diplomat  and  leader,  let  himself 
be  caught  in  that  way.  Like  a  man  of  energy,  he  declared  a 
sacred  war  at  once,  and,  as  he  had  valiant  warriors  in  thou 
sands,  he  hurried  off  the  first  corps  eastward.  His  son, 
Tehenna,  who  was  twenty  years  of  age  at  that  time,  led  it. 

The  old  barbarian  knew  what  war  was,  and  understood  that 
he  who  plans  to  conquer  must  act  with  speed  and  give  the 
first  blows  in  the  struggle. 

Libyan  preparations  were  very  brief.  The  former  warriors 
of  his  holiness  had  no  weapons,  it  is  true,  but  they  knew  their 
trade,  and  it  was  not  difficult  in  those  days  to  find  weapons  for 
an  army.  A  few  straps,  or  pieces  of  rope  for  a  sling,  a  dart  or  a 
sharpened  stick,  an  axe,  or  a  heavy  club,  a  bag  of  stones,  and 
another  of  dates,  —  that  was  the  whole  problem. 

So  Musawasa  gave  two  thousand  men,  ex-warriors  of  the 
pharaoh,  and  four  thousand  of  the  Libyan  rabble  to  Tehenna, 
commanding  him  to  fall  on  Egypt  at  the  earliest,  seize  what 
ever  he  could  find,  and  collect  provisions  for  the  real  army. 
Assembling  for  himself  the  most  important  forces,  he  sent 
swift  runners  through  the  oases  and  summoned  to  his  standard 
all  who  had  no  property. 

There  had  not  been  such  a  movement  in  the  desert  for  a 
long  time.  From  each  oasis  came  crowd  after  crowd,  such  a 
proletariat,  that,  though  almost  naked,  they  deserved  to  be 
called  a  tattered  rabble.  Relying  on  the  opinion  of  his  coun 
sellors,  who  a  month  earlier  had  been  officers  of  his  holi 
ness,  Musawasa  supposed,  with  perfect  judgment,  that  his  son 
would  plunder  hundreds  of  villages  and  small  places  from 
Terenuthis  to  Senti-Nofer,  before  he  would  meet  important 
Egyptian  forces.  Finally  they  reported  to  him,  that  at  the 


398  THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST 

first  news  of  a  movement  among  the  Libyans,  not  only  had  all 
laborers  fled  from  the  glass  works,  but  that  even  the  troops  had 
withdrawn  from  fortresses  in  Sochet-Hernan  on  the  Soda 
Lakes. 

This  was  of  very  good  import  to  the  barbarians,  since  those 
glass  works  were  an  important  source  of  income  to  the  pharaoh's 
treasury. 

Musawasa  had  made  the  same  mistake  as  the  supreme 
priestly  council.  He  had  not  foreseen  military  genius  in 
Rameses.  And  an  uncommon  thing  happened:  before  the  first 
Libyan  corps  had  reached  the  neighborhood  of  the  Soda  Lakes 
the  viceroy's  army  was  there,  and  was  twice  as  numerous  as 
its  enemies. 

No  man  could  reproach  the  Libyans  with  lack  of  foresight. 
Tehenna  and  his  staff  had  a  very  well-organized  service. 
Their  spies  had  made  frequent  visits  to  Melcatis,  Naucratis, 
Sai,  Menuf,  and  Terenuthis,  and  had  sailed  across  the 
Canopus  and  Bolbita  arms  of  the  Nile.  Nowhere  did  they 
meet  troops ;  the  movements  of  troops  would  have  been  par 
alyzed  in  those  places  by  the  overflow,  but  they  did  see  almost 
everywhere  the  alarm  of  settled  populations  which  were  simply 
fleeing  from  border  villages.  So  they  brought  their  leader 
exact  intelligence. 

Meanwhile  the  viceroy's  army,  in  spite  of  the  overflow,  had 
reached  the  edge  of  the  desert  in  nine  days  after  it  was  mobil 
ized,  and  now,  furnished  with  water  and  provisions,  it  vanished 
among  the  hills  of  the  Soda  Lakes. 

If  Tehenna  could  have  risen  like  an  -eagle  above  the  camp  of 
his  warriors,  he  would  have  been  frightened  at  seeing  that 
Egyptian  regiments  were  hidden  in  all  the  ravines  of  that  dis 
trict,  and  that  his  corps  might  be  surrounded  at  any  instant. 


CHAPTER   XLIII 

FROM    the    moment   when    the    troops    of    Lower    Egypt 
marched  out  of  Pi-Bast,   the  prophet,  Mentezufis,   who 
accompanied   the  prince,  received  and  sent    away  despatches 
daily. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  399 

One  correspondence  he  conducted  with  the  minister  Herhor ; 
Mentezufis  sent  reports  to  Memphis  touching  the  advance  of 
the  troops,  and  the  activity  of  the  viceroy ;  of  this  activity  he 
did  not  conceal  his  admiration.  On  his  part,  the  worthy  Her 
hor  stated  that  every  freedom  was  to  be  left  to  the  heir,  and 
that  if  Rarneses  lost  his  first  battle,  the  supreme  council  would 
not  feel  angry. 

"A  slight  defeat,"  said  Herhor,  "would  be  a  lesson  in 
humility  and  caution  to  the  viceroy,  who  even  now,  though  as 
yet  he  has  done  nothing,  considers  himself  as  equal  to  the 
most  experienced  warriors." 

When  Mentezufis  answered  that  one  could  not  easily  suppose 
that  the  heir  would  meet  defeat,  Herhor  let  him  understand 
that  in  that  case  the  triumph  should  not  be  over  brilliant. 

"  The  state,"  continued  he,  "  will  not  lose  in  anyway  if  the 
warriors  and  the  impulsive  heir  find  amusement  for  some  years 
along  the  western  border.  He  will  gain  skill  himself  in  war 
fare,  while  the  idle  warriors  will  find  their  own  proper  work  to 
do." 

The  other  correspondence  Mentezufis  carried  on  with  the 
holy  father  Mefres  and  that  seemed  to  him  of  more  import 
ance.  Mefres,  offended  formerly  by  the  prince,  had  recently, 
in  the  case  of  Sarah's  child,  accused  the  prince  directly  of 
infanticide,  committed  under  Kama's  influence. 

When  a  week  had  passed,  and  the  viceroy's  innocence  was 
manifest,  the  high  priest  grew  still  more  irate,  and  did  not 
cease  his  efforts.  The  prince,  he  said,  was  capable  of  any 
thing  ;  he  was  hostile  to  the  country's  gods,  he  was  an  ally  of 
the  vile  Phoenicians. 

The  murder  of  Sarah's  child  seemed  so  suspicious  in  the 
earlier  days,  that  even  the  supreme  council  asked  Mentezufis 
what  he  thought  of  it. 

Mentezufis  answered  that  he  had  watched  the  prince  for 
days,  and  did  not  think  the  man  a  murderer. 

Such  were  the  letters  which,  like  birds  of  prey,  whirled 
around  Rameses,  while  he  was  sending  scouts  against  the 
enemy,  consulting  leaders,  or  urging  on  his  warriors. 

On  the  fourteenth  day  the  whole  army  was  concentrated  on 
the  south  of  Terenuthis.  To  the  great  delight  of  the  heir, 


400  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Patrokles  came  with  the  Greek  regiment,  and  with  him  the 
priest  Pentuer,  sent  by  Herhor  as  another  guardian  near  the 
viceroy. 

The  multitude  of  priests  in  the  camp  (for  there  were  still 
others)  did  not  enchant  Rameses.  But  he  resolved  not  to 
turn  attention  to  the  holy  men  or  ask  advice  of  them. 

Relations  were  regulated  in  some  way,  for  Mentezufis, 
according  to  instructions  from  Herhor,  did  not  force  himself 
on  the  prince,  while  Pentuer  occupied  himself  with  organizing 
medical  aid  for  the  wounded. 

The  military  game  began. 

First  of  all  Rameses,  through  his  agents,  had  spread  a  report 
in  many  boundary  villages  that  the  Libyans  were  pushing  for 
ward  in  great  masses,  and  would  destroy  and  murder.  Because 
of  this  the  terrified  inhabitants  fled  eastward  and  met  the  Egyp 
tian  warriors.  The  prince  took  them  in  to  carry  burdens  for  the 
army,  the  women  and  children  he  conveyed  to  the  interior  of 
Egypt.  Next  the  commander  sent  spies  to  meet  the  approach 
ing  Libyans  and  discover  their  number  and  disposition.  These 
spies  returned  soon,  bringing  accurate  indications  as  to  where 
the  Libyans  were  and  very  exaggerated  accounts  as  to  their 
numbers.  They  asserted,  too,  mistakenly,  though  in  great 
confidence,  that  at  the  head  of  the  Libyan  columns  marched 
Musawasa  with  his  son  Tehenna. 

The  princely  leader  was  flushed  with  delight  that  in  his  first 
war  he  would  have  such  an  experienced  enemy  as  Musawasa. 

He  overestimated,  therefore,  the  danger  of  the  struggle  and 
redoubled  every  caution.  To  have  all  chances  on  his  side  he  had 
recourse  to  stratagem.  He  sent  confidential  men  to  meet  the 
Libyans ;  he  commanded  them  to  feign  that  they  were  fugitives, 
to  enter  the  enemies'  camp  and  draw  from  Musawasa  his  best 
forces,  the  disbanded  Libyan  soldiers. 

"  Tell  them,"  said  Rameses  to  his  agents,  "  that  I  have  axes 
for  the  insolent,  and  compassion  for  obedience.  If  in  the 
coming  battle  they  will  throw  their  weapons  down  and  leave 
Musawasa,  I  will  receive  them  back  to  the  army  of  his  holiness, 
and  command  to  pay  all  arrears,  as  if  they  had  never  left 
the  service." 

Patrokles  and  the  other  generals  saw  in  this  a  very  prudent 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  401 

measure  ;  the  priests  were  silent,  Mentezufis  sent  a  despatch  to 
Herhor  and  next  day  received  an  answer. 

The  neighborhood  of  the  Soda  Lakes  was  a  valley  some  tens 
of  kilometres  long,  enclosed  between  two  lines  of  hills,  extend 
ing  from  the  southeast  toward  the  northwest.  The  greatest 
width  did  not  exceed  ten  kilometres ;  there  were  places  narrower, 
almost  ravines. 

Throughout  the  whole  length  of  that  valley  extended  one 
after  another  about  ten  swampy  lakes  filled  with  bitter, 
brackish  water.  Wretched  plants  and  bushes  grew  there  ever 
coated  with  sand,  ever  withering,  —  plants  which  no  beast  would 
take  to  its  mouth.  Along  both  sides  were  sticking  up  jagged 
limestone  hills,  or  immense  heaps  of  sand  in  which  a  man 
might  sink  deeply. 

The  white  and  yellow  landscape  had  a  look  of  dreadful 
torpor,  which  was  heightened  by  the  heat,  and  also  by  the 
silence.  No  bird  was  ever  heard  there,  and  if  any  sound 
was  given  forth  it  was  from  a  stone  rolling  down  along  a 
hillside. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  valley  rose  two  groups  of  buildings 
a  few  kilometres  from  each  other ;  these  were  a  fortress  on  the 
east,  and  glass  factories  on  the  west,  to  which  Libyan  merchants 
brought  fuel.  Both  these  places  had  been  deserted  because  of 
the  conflict.  Tehenna's  corps  was  to  occupy  both  these  points, 
and  secure  the  road  to  Egypt  for  Musawasa's  army  forces. 

The  Libyans  marched  slowly  from  the  town  of  Glaucus 
southward,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  fourteenth  day  of  Hator, 
they  were  at  the  entrance  to  the  valley  of  the  Soda  Lakes, 
feeling  sure  that  they  would  pass  through  in  two  days  un 
molested.  That  evening  at  sunset  the  Egyptian  army  moved 
toward  the  desert,  passed  over  more  than  forty  kilometres  of 
sand  in  twelve  hours,  and  next  morning  was  on  the  hills  between 
the  huts  and  the  fortress  and  hid  in  the  many  ravines  of  that 
region. 

If  some  man  that  night  had  told  the  Libyans  that  palm-trees 
and  wheat  were  growing  in  the  valley  of  the  Soda  Lakes  they 
would  have  been  astonished  less  than  if  he  had  declared  that 
the  Egyptians  had  barred  the  way  to  it. 

After  a  short  rest,  during  which  the  priests  had  discovered 

26 


402  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

and  cleared  out  a  few  wells  of  water  somewhat  endurable  for 
drinking,  the  Egyptian  army  began  to  occupy  the  hills  extend 
ing  along  the  northern  side  of  the  valley. 

The  viceroy's  plan  was  quite  simple.  He  was  to  cut  off 
the  Libyans  from  their  country,  and  push  them  southward 
into  the  desert,  where  heat  and  hunger  would  kill  them. 

With  this  object  he  disposed  his  army  on  the  northern  side 
of  the  valley  and  divided  it  into  three  corps.  The  right  wing, 
that  which  extended  most  toward  Libya,  was  led  by  Patrokles, 
who  was  to  cut  off  the  invaders  from  their  own  town  of 
Glaucus.  The  left  wing,  that  nearest  to  Egypt,  commanded 
by  Mentezufis,  was  to  stop  the  Libyans  from  advancing. 
Finally,  the  direction  of  the  centre,  at  the  glass  huts,  was 
taken  by  Rameses,  who  had  Pentuer  near  his  person. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  Hator  about  seven  in  the  morning,  some 
tens  of  Libyan  horsemen  moved  at  a  brisk  trot  through  the 
valley.  They  stopped  a  moment  at  the  huts,  looked  around, 
and,  seeing  nothing  suspicious,  rode  back  again. 

At  about  ten  in  the  forenoon  in  a  heat  which  seemed  to  suck 
sweat  and  draw  blood  from  men's  bodies,  Pentuer  said  to  the 
viceroy,  — 

"  The  Libyans  have  entered  the  valley  and  passed  Patrokles' 
division.  They  will  be  here  in  an  hour  from  now. " 

"  Whence  knowest  thou  this?"  asked  the  astonished  prince. 

"  The  priests  know  everything,"  replied  Pentuer,  smiling. 

Then  he  ascended  one  of  the  cliffs  cautiously,  took  from 
a  bag  a  very  bright  object  and  turning  it  in  the  direction 
of  the  holy  Mentezufis  began  to  give  certain  signs  with  his 
hand. 

"Mentezufis  is  informed  already,"  said  Pentuer. 

The  prince  could  not  recover  from  astonishment  and 
answered, — 

11  My  eyes  are  better  than  thine,  and  my  hearing  is  not 
worse,  I  think  ;  still  I  see  nothing,  I  hear  nothing.  How,  then, 
dost  thou  see  the  enemy  and  converse  with  Mentezufis?" 

Pentuer  directed  the  prince  to  look  at  a  distant  hill,  on  the 
summit  of  which  was  a  thornbush.  Rameses  looked  at  that 
point  and  shaded  his  eyes  on  a  sudden.  In  the  bush  some 
thing  flashed  brightly. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  403 

"What  unendurable  glitter  is  that  ?"  cried  he.  "  It  might 
blind  a  man." 

"  That  is  the  priest  who  is  aiding  the  worthy  Patrokles;  he 
is  giving  us  signs,"  replied  Pentuer.  ''Thou  seest,  then, 
worthy  lord,  that  we,  too,  can  be  useful  in  war  time." 

He  was  silent.  From  the  distance  of  the  valley  came  a  certain 
sound ;  at  first  low,  gradually  it  grew  clearer.  At  this  sound  the 
Egyptian  soldiers  hidden  at  the  sides  of  the  hill  began  to  spring 
up,  look  at  their  weapons,  and  whisper.  But  the  sharp  com 
mands  of  officers  quieted  them,  and  again  the  silence  was  death 
like  along  the  cliffs  on  the  north  side. 

Meanwhile  that  distant  sound  in  the  valley  increased  and 
passed  into  an  uproar  in  which,  on  the  bases  of  thousands  of 
voices  a  man  could  distinguish  songs,  sounds  of  flutes,  squeaks 
of  chariots,  the  neighing  of  horses,  and  the  cries  of  com 
manders.  The  prince's  heart  was  now  beating  with  violence ; 
he  could  not  resist  his  curiosity,  and  he  clambered  up  to  a  rocky 
height  whence  a  large  part  of  the  valley  was  visible. 

Surrounded  by  rolls  of  yellow  dust  the  Libyan  corps  was 
approaching  deliberately,  and  seemed  like  a  serpent  some  miles 
in  length,  with  blue,  white,  and  red  spots  on  its  body. 

At  its  head  marched  from  ten  to  twenty  horsemen,  one  of 
whom,  wearing  a  white  mantle,  was  sitting  on  his  horse  as  on 
a  bench,  both  his  legs  on  the  left  side  of  the  animal.  Behind 
the  horsemen  marched  a  crowd  of  slingers  in  gray  shirts,  then 
some  dignitary  in  a  litter,  over  whom  a  large  parasol  was  carried. 
Farther  was  a  division  of  spearmen  in  blue  and  red  shirts,  then  a 
great  band  of  men  almost  naked,  armed  with  clubs,  again  slingers 
and  spearmen,  behind  them  a  red  division  with  scythes  and  axes. 
They  came  on  more  or  less  in  ranks  of  four ;  but  in  spite  of 
shouts  of  officers,  that  order  was  interrupted,  and  each  four 
treading  on  others,  broke  ranks  continually. 

Singing  and  talking  loudly,  the  Libyan  serpent  crawled  out 
into  the  broadest  part  of  the  valley,  opposite  the  huts  and  the 
Soda  Lakes.  Order  was  disturbed  now  more  considerably. 
Those  marching  in  advance  stopped,  for  it  had  been  said  that 
there  would  be  a  halt  at  that  point ;  the  columns  behind  hurried 
so  as  to  reach  the  halt  and  rest  all  the  earlier.  Some  ran  out 
of  the  ranks,  and  laying  down  their  weapons,  rushed  into  the 


404  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

lake,  or  took  up  in  their  palms  its  malodorous  water;  others,  sit 
ting  on  the  ground,  took  dates  from  bags,  or  drank  vinegar  and 
water  from  their  bottles. 

High  above  the  carnp  floated  a  number  of  vultures. 

Unspeakable  sadness  and  terror  seized  Rameses  at  this  spec 
tacle.  Before  his  eyes  flies  began  to  circle  ;  for  the  twinkle  of 
an  eye  he  lost  consciousness  ;  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  would 
have  yielded  his  throne  not  to  be  at  that  place,  and  not  to  see 
what  was  going  to  happen.  He  hurried  down  from  the  cliff 
looking  with  wandering  eyes  straight  out  in  front  of  him. 

At  that  moment  Pentuer  approached  and  pulled  him  by  the 
arm  vigorously. 

"Recover,  leader,"  said  he;  "  Patrokles  is  waiting  for 
orders." 

"Patrokles?"  repeated  the  prince,  and  he  looked  around 
quickly. 

Before  him  stood  Pentuer,  deathly  pale,  but  collected.  A 
couple  of  steps  farther  on  was  Tutmosis,  also  pale  ;  in  his  trem 
bling  hand  was  an  officer's  whistle.  From  behind  the  hill  bent 
forth  soldiers,  on  whose  faces  deep  emotion  was  evident. 

"  Rameses,"  repeated  Pentuer,  "  the  army  is  waiting.  " 

The  prince  looked  at  the  priest  with  desperate  decision. 

"  Begin !  "  said  he  in  a  stifled  whisper. 

Pentuer  raised  his  glittering  talisman,  and  made  some  signs 
in  the  air  with  it.  Tutmosis  gave  a  low  whistle ;  that  whistle 
was  repeated  in  distant  ravines  on  the  right  and  the  left. 
Egyptian  slingers  began  to  climb  up  the  hillsides. 

It  was  about  midday. 

Rameses  recovered  gradually  from  his  first  impressions  and 
looked  around  carefully.  He  saw  his  staff,  a  division  of  spear 
men  and  axemen  under  veteran  officers,  finally  slingers, 
advancing  along  the  cliff  leisurely.  And  he  was  convinced 
that  not  one  of  those  men  had  the  wish  to  die  or  even  to  fight 
and  move  around  in  that  heat,  which  was  terrible. 

All  at  once  from  the  height  of  some  hill  was  heard  a  mighty 
voice,  louder  than  the  roar  of  a  lion,  — 

"Soldiers  of  the  pharaoh,  slay  those  Libyan  dogs!  The 
gods  are  with  you.  " 

To  this  unearthly  voice  answered  two  voices  no  less  power- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  405 

ful:    the    prolonged    shout   of    the    Egyptian  army,    and    the 
immense  outcry  of  the  Libyans. 

The  prince  had  no  need  to  conceal  himself  longer,  and 
ascended  an  eminence  whence  he  could  see  the  hostile  forces 
distinctly.  Before  him  stretched  a  long  line  of  Egyptian 
slingers  who  seemed  as  if  they  had  grown  up  from  the  earth, 
and  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  distant  the  Libyan  column 
moving  forward  in  dust  clouds.  The  trumpets,  the  whistles, 
the  curses  of  barbarian  officers  were  heard  calling  to  order. 
Those  who  were  sitting  sprang  up;  those  who  were  drinking 
snatched  their  weapons  and  ran  to  their  places;  chaotic  throngs 
developed  into  ranks,  and  all  this  took  place  amid  outcries  and 
tumult.  Meanwhile  the  Egyptian  slingers  cast  a  number  of 
missiles  each  minute.  They  were  as  calm  and  well  ordered  as 
at  a  manoeuvre.  The  decurions  indicated  to  their  men  the 
hostile  crowds  against  which  they  must  strike,  and  in  the 
course  of  some  minutes  they  covered  them  with  a  shower  of 
stones  and  leaden  bullets.  The  prince  saw  that  after  every 
such  shower  a  Libyan  crowd  scattered  and  very  often  one  man 
remained  on  the  earth  behind  the  others. 

Still  the  Libyan  ranks  formed  and  withdrew  outside  the  reach 
of  missiles,  then  their  slingers  pushed  forward  and  with  equal 
swiftness  and  coolness  replied  to  the  Egyptians.  At  times 
there  were  bursts  of  laughter  in  their  ranks  and  shouts  of 
delight  at  the  fall  of  some  Egyptian  slinger. 

Soon  above  the  heads  of  the  prince  and  his  retinue  stones 
began  to  whizz  and  whistle.  One,  cast  adroitly,  struck  the  arm 
of  an  adjutant,  and  broke  the  bone  in  it;  another  knocked  the 
helmet  from  a  second  adjutant ;  a  third,  falling  at  the  prince's 
feet,  was  broken  against  the  cliff  and  struck  the  leader's  face 
with  fragments  as  hot  as  boiling  water. 

The  Libyans  laughed  loudly  and  shouted  out  something : 
apparently  they  were  abusing  the  viceroy. 

Fear  and,  above  all,  compassion  and  pity  left  the  soul  of 
Rameses  in  an  instant.  He  saw  before  him  no  longer  people 
threatened  by  death  and  anguish,  but  lines  of  savage  beasts  which 
he  had  to  kill  or  deprive  of  weapons.  Mechanically  he  reached 
for  his  sword  to  lead  on  the  spearmen  awaiting  command,  but 
he  was  restrained  by  contempt  of  the  enemy.  Was  he  to  stain 


406  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

himself  with  the  blood  of  that  rabble?  Warriors  were  there  for 
that  purpose. 

Meanwhile  the  battle  continued,  and  the  brave  Libyan 
slingers,  while  shouting  and  even  singing,  began  to  press  for 
ward.  From  both  sides  missiles  whizzed  like  beetles,  buzzed 
like  bees,  sometimes  they  struck  one  another  in  the  air  with  a 
crack,  and  every  minute  or  two  on  this  side  or  that  some  war 
rior  went  to  the  rear  groaning,  or  fell  dead  immediately.  But 
this  did  not  spoil  the  humor  of  others :  they  fought  with 
malicious  delight,  which  gradually  changed  to  rage  and  self- 
oblivion. 

Then  from  afar  on  the  right  wing  were  heard  sounds  of 
trumpets,  and  shouts  repeated  frequently.  That  was  the 
unterrified  Patrokles ;  drunk  since  daylight,  he  was  attacking 
the  rear  guard  of  Libya. 

"  Charge !  "  said  the  prince. 

Immediately  that  order  was  repeated  by  one,  two,  ten 
trumpets,  and  after  a  moment  the  Egyptian  companies  pushed 
out  from  all  the  ravines.  The  slingers  disposed  on  the  hill 
tops  redoubled  their  efforts,  while  in  the  valley,  without  haste, 
but  also  without  disorder,  the  Egyptian  spearmen  and  axemen 
arranged  in  four  columns  moved  forward  gradually. 

11  Strengthen  the  centre,"  said  the  prince. 

A  trumpet  repeated  the  command.  Behind  two  columns 
of  the  first  line  two  new  columns  were  placed.  Before  the 
Egyptians  had  finished  that  manoeuvre,  under  a  storm  of 
missiles,  the  Libyans,  following  their  example,  had  arranged 
themselves  in  eight  columns  against  the  main  corps  of  Egypt. 

"  Forward,  reserves !"  shouted  the  prince.  "See,"  said  he, 
turning  to  one  of  the  adjutants,  "  whether  the  left  wing  is 
ready." 

To  see  the  valley  at  a  glance,  and  more  accurately,  the 
adjutant  rushed  in  among  the  slingers,  and  fell  immediately, 
but  beckoned  with  his  hand.  Another  rushed  to  replace  him 
and  returned  quickly  to  state  that  both  wings  of  the  prince's 
division  were  drawn  up  in  order. 

From  the  division  commanded  by  Patrokles  came  an  increas 
ing  uproar,  and  higher  than  the  hill  dense  rolls  of  dark  smoke 
were  rising. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  407 

An  officer  from  Pentuer  ran  to  the  prince  reporting  that  the 
Libyan  camp  had  been  fired  by  the  Greek  regiments. 

**  Force  the  centre!  "  cried  Rameses. 

Trumpet  after  trumpet  sounded  the  attack,  and  when  they 
had  ceased  the  command  was  heard  in  the  central  column,  and 
then  followed  the  rhythmic  roll  of  drums  and  the  beat  of  the 
infantry  step,  marching  slowly  and  in  time :  one  —  two !  one 
—  two!  one  —  two!  The  command  was  repeated  on  the  right 
and  on  the  left  wing ;  again  drums  rolled  and  the  wing  columns 
moved  forward  :  one  —  two  !  one  —  two ! 

The  Libyan  slingers  began  to  withdraw,  showering  stones 
on  the  marching  Egyptians.  But  though  one  warrior  fell  after 
another,  the  columns  moved  on  without  stopping ;  they  marched 
slowly,  regularly,  one  —  two !  one  —  two  !  one  —  two  ! 

The  yellow  cloud,  growing  ever  denser,  indicated  the  march 
of  the  Egyptian  battalions.  The  slingers  could  hurl  stones  no 
longer,  and  there  came  a  comparative  quiet  in  the  midst  of 
which  were  heard  sobs  and  groans  from  wounded  warriors. 

"It  is  rare  that  they  march  on  review  so  well,"  cried 
Rameses  to  the  staff  officers. 

"  They  are  not  afraid  of  sticks  this  time,"  grumbled  a  vete 
ran  officer. 

The  space  between  the  dust  cloud  around  the  Egyptians  and 
that  on  the  Libyan  side  decreased  every  minute,  but  the  bar 
barians,  halting,  stood  motionless,  and  behind  their  line  a  second 
cloud  made  its  appearance.  Evidently  some  reserve  was 
strengthening  the  central  column,  which  was  threatened  by  the 
wildest  of  onsets. 

The  heir  ran  down  from  his  eminence  and  mounted;  the 
last  Egyptian  reserves  poured  out  of  the  ravines,  fixed  them 
selves  in  ranks,  and  waited  for  the  order.  Behind  the  infantry 
pushed  out  some  hundreds  of  Asiatic  horsemen  on  small  but 
enduring  horses. 

The  prince  hurried  after  the  columns  advancing  to  attack, 
and  when  he  had  gone  a  hundred  yards  he  found  a  new 
eminence,  not  high,  but  from  which  he  could  see  the  whole 
field  of  battle.  The  retinue,  the  Asiatic  cavalry,  and  the 
reserve  column  hurried  after  him. 

The  prince  looked  impatiently  toward  the  left  wing  whence 


408  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Mentezufis  had  to  come,  but  he  was  not  coming.  The  Libyans 
stood  immovable,  the  situation  seemed  more  and  more  serious. 

The  viceroy's  division  was  the  stronger,  but  against  it  were 
arrayed  almost  all  the  Libyan  forces.  The  two  sides  were 
equal  as  to  numbers ;  the  prince  had  no  doubt  of  victory,  but 
he  dreaded  the  immense  loss  since  his  opponent  was  so 
manful. 

Besides,  battle  has  caprices. 

Over  men  who  have  gone  to  attack,  the  leader's  influence 
has  ceased,  he  controls  them  no  longer ;  Rameses  has  only  a 
regiment  of  reserves,  and  a  handful  of  cavalry.  If  one  of  the 
Egyptian  columns  is  beaten,  or  if  reinforcements  come  to  the 
foe  unexpectedly ! 

The  prince  rubbed  his  forehead  at  this  thought.  He  felt  all 
the  responsibility  of  a  leader.  He  was  like  a  dice  thrower  who 
has  staked  all  he  owns,  cast  his  dice,  and  asks,  "How will  they 
come  out?  " 

The  Egyptians  are  a  few  tens  of  yards  from  the  Libyan  col 
umns.  The  command,  the  trumpets,  the  drums  sound  hurriedly, 
and  the  troops  move  at  a  run  :  one  —  two  —  three !  one  —  two 
-  three  !  But  on  the  side  of  the  enemy  also  a  trumpet  is  heard, 
two  ranks  of  spears  are  lowered,  drums  beat.  At  a  run ! 
New  rolls  of  dust  rise,  then  they  unite  in  one  immense  cloud. 
The  roar  of  human  voices,  the  rattle  of  spears,  the  biting  of 
scythes,  then  a  shrill  groan  which  is  soon  lost  in  one  general 
uproar. 

Along  the  whole  line  of  battle  neither  men,  nor  weapons, 
nor  even  columns  are  visible,  nothing  but  a  line  of  yellow  dust 
stretching  along  like  a  giant  serpent.  The  denser  cloud  sig 
nifies  places  where  the  columns  are  struggling;  the  thinner, 
where  there  are  breaks  in  the  columns. 

After  some  minutes  of  satanic  uproar  the  heir  sees  that  the 
dust  on  his  left  wing  is  bending  back  very  slowly. 

"  Strengthen  the  left  wing!  "  shouts  Rameses. 

One  half  of  the  reserve  runs  to  the  place  pointed  out,  and  dis 
appears  in  the  sand  cloud  ;  the  left  wing  straightens  itself,  the 
right  goes  forward  slowly  always  in  one  direction. 

"  Strengthen  the  centre !  "  cries  Rameses. 

The  second  half  of  the  reserve  advances  and  vanishes  in  the 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  409 

sand  cloud.  The  shout  increased  for  a  moment,  but  no  for 
ward  movement  is  visible. 

u  Those  wretches  fight  desperately,"  said  an  old  officer  of 
the  suite  to  Rameses.  "  It  is  high  time  that  Mentezufis  were 
here." 

The  prince  summoned  the  leader  of  the  Asiatic  cavalry. 

"But  look  to  the  right,"  said  he;  "there  must  be  abend 
there." 

k'  Go  cautiously  so  as  not  to  trample  our  warriors  and  attack 
those  dogs  in  their  central  column,  on  the  flank." 

"•They  must  be  chained,  for  somehow  they  stand  too  long," 
replied  the  Asiatic,  smiling. 

The  prince  has  now  about  two  hundred  of  his  own  cavalry, 
and  these  advance,  with  the  others,  at  a  trot,  crying,  — 

4 'May  our  chief  live  forever!  " 

The  heat  passes  description.  The  prince  strains  eyes  and 
ears  to  see  through  the  sand  cloud.  He  waits  —  and  waits. 
All  at  once  he  shouts  with  delight.  The  centre  of  the  cloud 
quivers  and  moves  forward  slightly. 

Again  it  stops,  again  it  moves  forward  —  slowly,  very 
slowly,  but  still  it  moves  forward. 

The  din  is  so  tremendous  that  no  one  can  decide  what  it 
means  :  rage,  defeat,  or  victory. 

Now  the  right  wing  begins  to  bend  outward  and  withdraw 
in  a  strange  manner.  In  the  rear  of  the  wing  appears  a  new 
dust  cloud.  At  the  same  moment  Pentuer  races  up,  dismounts, 
and  shouts,  — 

"  Patrokles  is  engaging  the  rear  of  the  Libyans  !  " 

The  confusion  on  the  right  wing  increases,  and  is  passing  to 
the  centre.  It  is  clear  that  the  Libyans  are  beginning  to  with 
draw,  and  that  panic  is  seizing  even  their  main  column. 

The  whole  staff  of  the  prince,  roused  to  the  uttermost,  fol 
lows  the  movements  of  the  yellow  dust,  feverishly.  In  a  few 
minutes  alarm  appears  on  the  left  wing.  The  Libyans  have 
begun  to  flee  in  that  quarter. 

"  May  I  never  see  another  sun,  if  this  is  not  a  victory!" 
cried  a  veteran  officer. 

A  courier  rushes  in  from  the  priests,  who  from  the  highest 
hill  had  followed  the  course  of  the  battle,  and  reports  that  on 


410  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  left  wing  the  troops  cf  Mentezufis  are  visible,  and  that  the 
Libyans  are  surrounded  on  three  sides. 

"  They  would  fly  like  deer  if  the  sand  did  not  hinder  them." 

"  Victory !     May  our  chief  live  forever  !  "  cried  Pentuer. 

It  was  only  two  hours  after  midday. 

The  Asiatic  cavalry  sing  loudly,  and  send  arrows  into  the 
air  in  honor  of  Rameses.  The  staff  officers  dismount,  and 
rush  to  kiss  the  hands  and  feet  of  the  viceroy  ;  at  last  they  take 
him  from  the  saddle,  raise  him  in  the  air,  shouting,  — 

"  Here  is  a  mighty  leader  !  He  has  trampled  the  enemies  of 
Egypt !  Amon  is  on  his  right,  and  on  his  left,  who  can 
oppose  him  ?  " 

Meanwhile  the  Libyans,  pushing  back  all  the  time,  had 
ascended  the  sandy  hills  on  the  south,  and  after  them  Egyp 
tians.  From  out  the  cloud  came  horsemen  every  minute  and 
rushed  to  Rameses. 

44  Mentezufis  has  taken  them  in  the  rear !  "  cried  one. 

"  Two  hundred  have  surrendered  !  "  cried  another. 

"Patrokles  has  taken  them  in  the  rear!  " 

u  Three  Libyan  standards,  are  captured:  the  ram,  the  lion, 
and  the  sparrow-hawk  !  " 

More  and  more  men  gathered  round  the  staff :  it  was  sur 
rounded  by  warriors  who  were  bloody  and  dust-covered. 

"May  he  live  through  eternity!  May  he  live  through 
eternity,  our  leader !  " 

The  prince  was  so  excited,  that  he  laughed  and  cried  in  turn 
and  said  to  his  retinue,  — 

"The  gods  have  been  compassionate.  I  feared  that  we  had 
lost.  Evil  is  the  plight  of  a  leader ;  without  drawing  a  sword 
and  even  without  seeing,  he  must  answer  for  everything !  " 

"  Live  thou,  O  conquering  commander,  live  through 
eternity  !  "  cried  the  warriors. 

"  A  fine  victory  for  me!  "  laughed  Rameses.  "  I  do  not  know 
even  how  they  won  it." 

' '  He  wins  a  victory,  and  wonders  how  it  came !  "  cried 
some  one  in  the  retinue. 

"  I  say  that  I  saw  not  the  face  of  the  battle,"  explained  the 
prince. 

"Be  at  rest,  our  commander,"  said  Pentuer.     "Thou  didst 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  411 

dispose  the  army  so  wisely  that  the  enemy  had  to  be  beaten. 
And  in  what  way?  Just  as  if  that  did  not  belong  to  thee,  but 
the  regiments." 

"  I  did  not  even  draw  a  sword.  I  do  not  see  one  Libyan," 
complained  the  prince. 

On  the  southern  heights  there  was  a  struggling  and  a  seeth 
ing,  but  in  the  valley  the  dust  had  begun  to  settle  here  and 
there,  and  a  crowd  of  Egyptian  soldiers  were  visible  as  through 
a  rnist,  their  spears  pointed  upward. 

Rameses  turned  his  horse  in  that  direction  and  rode  out  to 
the  deserted  field  of  battle,  where  just  recently  had  been  the 
struggle  of  the  central  column.  It  was  a  place  some  hundreds 
of  yards  in  width,  with  deep  furrows  filled  with  bodies  of  the 
dead  and  wounded.  On  the  side  along  which  the  prince  was 
approaching,  Egyptians  and  Libyans  lay  intermixed,  in  a  long 
line,  still  farther  on  there  were  almost  none  except  Libyans. 

In  places  bodies  lay  close  to  bodies ;  sometimes  on  one  spot 
three  or  four  were  piled  one  on  another.  The  sand  was  stained 
with  brownish  blood  patches  ;  the  wounds  were  ghastly.  Both 
hands  were  cut  from  one  man,  another  had  his  head  split  to  the 
body,  from  a  third  man,  the  entrails  were  dropping.  Some 
were  howling  in  convulsions,  and  from  their  mouths,  filled  with 
sand,  came  forth  curses,  or  prayers  imploring  some  one  to  slay 
them. 

Rameses  passed  along  hastily,  not  looking  around,  though 
some  of  the  wounded  men  shouted  feebly  in  his  honor. 

Not  far  from  that  place  he  met  the  first  crowd  of  prisoners. 
They  fell  on  their  faces  before  him  and  begged  for  com 
passion. 

"  Proclaim  pardon  to  the  conquered  and  the  obedient,"  said 
he  to  his  staff. 

A  number  of  horsemen  rushed  off  in  various  directions.  Soon 
a  trumpet  was  heard,  and  after  it  a  piercing  voice,  — 

"  By  the  order  of  his  worthiness  the  prince  in  command, 
prisoners  and  wounded  are  not  to  be  slain ! " 

In  answer  came  wild  shouts,  evidently  from  prisoners. 

"  At  command  of  the  prince,"  a  second  voice  cried  in  sing 
ing  tones  in  another  direction,  "prisoners  and  wounded  are  not 
to  be  slain !  " 


412  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Meanwhile  on  the  southern  heights  the  battle  ceased  and  two 
of  the  largest  Libyan  divisions  laid  down  their  arms  before  the 
Greek  regiments. 

The  valiant  Patrokles,  in  consequence  of  the  heat,  as  he  said 
himself  —  of  ardent  drink,  as  thought  others  —  barely  held  him 
self  in  the  saddle.  He  rubbed  his  tearful  eyes,  and  turned  to 
the  prisoners. 

"  Mangy  dogs!"  cried  he,  "who  raise  sinful  hands  on  the 
army  of  his  holiness  ( may  the  worms  devour  you )  !  Ye  will 
perish  like  lice  under  the  nail  of  a  pious  Egyptian,  if  ye  do  not 
tell  this  minute  where  your  leader  is, —  may  leprosy  eat  off  his 
nose  and  drink  his  blear  eyes  out !  " 

At  that  moment  the  prince  appeared.  The  general  greeted 
him  with  respect,  but  did  not  stop  his  investigation. 

"I  will  have  belts  cut  from  your  bodies!  I  will  impale  you 
on  stakes,  if  I  do  not  learn  this  minute  where  that  poisonous 
reptile  is,  that  son  of  a  wild  boar.  " 

"  Ei!  where  our  leader  is?  "  cried  one  of  the  Libyans,  point 
ing  to  a  little  crowd  on  horseback  which  was  advancing  slowly 
in  the  depth  of  the  desert. 

"What  is  that?"  inquired  the  prince. 

"The  wretch  Musawasa  is  fleeing!  "  said  Patrokles,  and  he 
almost  fell  to  the  ground. 

The  blood  rushed  to  Rameses'  head. 

Then  Musawasa  was  here  and  escaped  ? 

"  Hei !  whoso  has  the  best  horse,  follow  me  !  " 

"Well,  "  said  Patrokles,  laughing,  "  that  sheep-stealer  him 
self  will  bleat  now  !  " 

Pentuer  stopped  the  way  to  the  prince. 

"It  is  not  for  thee  to  hunt  fugitives,  worthiness." 

"  What?"  cried  the  heir.  "  During  this  whole  battle  I  did 
not  raise  a  hand  on  any  man,  and  now  I  am  to  give  up 
the  Libyan  leader?  What  would  be  said  by  the  warriors  whom 
I  have  sent  out  under  spears  and  axes  ?  " 

"  The  army  cannot  remain  without  a  leader.  " 

"  But  are  not  Patrokles,  Tutmosis,  and  finally  Mentezufis, 
here?  For  what  purpose  am  I  commander  if  I  cannot  hunt  the 
enemy?  They  are  a  few  hundred  yards  from  us  and  have  tired 
horses.  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

44  We  will  come  back  in  an  hour  with  him.  He  is  only  an 
arm's  length  from  us !  "  whispered  some  Asiatic. 

"Patrokles,  Tutmosis,  I  leave  the  army  to  you!"  cried  the 
heir.  "Rest.  I  will  come  back  immediately." 

He  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  advanced  at  a  trot,  sinking 
in  the  sand,  and  behind  him  about  twenty  horsemen,  with 
Pentuer. 

"  Why  art  thou  here,  O  prophet?  "  asked  Rameses.  44  Better 
sleep  —  to-day  thou  hast  rendered  good  service.  " 

44 1  may  be  of  use  yet,  "  added  Pentuer. 

"  But  remain  —  I  command  thee  — 

44  The  supreme  council  commands  me  not  to  go  one  step 
from  thee,  worthiness." 

Rameses  shook  himself  angrily. 

44  But  if  we  fall  into  an  ambush?  " 

44 1  will  not  leave  thee  in  ambush,"  answered  the  priest. 


CHAPTER   XLIV 

THERE  was  in  his  voice  so  much  kindliness  that  the 
astonished  prince  was  silent  and  let  him  go. 

They  were  in  the  desert  ;  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  behind 
them  was  an  army ;  in  front  were  fugitives  several  hundred 
yards  in  advance.  But  though  they  beat  and  urged  on  their 
horses,  the  fleeing,  as  well  as  the  pursuers,  advanced  with 
great  difficulty.  The  sun  poured  from  above  dreadful  heat  on 
them,  the  fine  but  sharp  dust  pushed  itself  into  their  mouths, 
into  their  nostrils,  into  their  eyes  above  all ;  under  their  horses' 
feet  the  burning  sand  gave  way  at  every  step.  In  the  air 
reigned  a  deathlike  silence. 

"  But  it  will  not  continue  like  this,  "  said  Rameses. 

"It  will  be  worse  and  worse,"  answered  Pentuer.  44Dost 
thou  see,  worthiness,  "  —  he  indicated  the  fugitives,  —  "  their 
horses  are  in  sand  to  their  knees?" 

The  prince  laughed,  for  at  that  moment  they  came  out  on 
ground  which  was  firmer,  and  trotted  about  a  hundred  yards. 
But  soon  their  road  was  confronted  by  a  sea  of  sand,  and 
again  they  advanced  step  by  step  slowly. 


414  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Sweat  poured  from  the  men,  there  was  foam  on  the 
horses. 

"  It  is  hot !  "  whispered  the  heir. 

"Listen,  lord,  "  said  Pentuer,  "this  is  not  a  good  day  for 
hunting  in  the  desert.  This  morning  the  sacred  insects  showed 
great  disquiet,  then  dropped  into  lethargy.  Also  my  knife  of 
a  priest  went  down  very  little  in  the  earthen  scabbard,  which 
means  intense  heat.  Both  these  phenomena  —  the  heat,  and  the 
lethargy  of  insects  —  may  announce  a  tempest.  Let  us  return, 
for  not  only  have  we  lost  sight  of  the  camp,  but  even  sounds 
from  there  do  not  reach  to  us.  " 

Rameses  looked  at  the  priest  almost  contemptuously. 

"  And  dost  thou  think,  O  prophet,  "  said  he,  "  that  I,  having 
once  commanded  the  capture  of  Musawasa,  can  return  empty- 
handed  because  I  fear  heat  and  a  tempest?" 

They  went  on  without  stopping.  At  one  place  there  was 
hard  ground  again,  thanks  to  which  they  approached  the  fugi 
tives  to  within  the  distance  of  a  sling  cast. 

"  Hei,  ye  there  !  "  cried  the  heir,  "  yield." 

The  Libyans  did  not  even  look  behind,  and  waded  on  through 
the  sand  with  great  effort.  After  a  while  one  might  suppose 
that  they  would  be  overtaken.  Soon  again,  however,  the 
prince's  party  struck  on  deep  sand  while  the  Libyans  hastening 
forward  vanished  beyond  an  elevation. 

The  Asiatics  cursed,  the  prince  gritted  his  teeth. 

At  last  the  horses  began  to  stumble  more  and  to  be  weary, 
so  the  riders  had  to  dismount  and  go  on  foot.  All  at  once  an 
Asiatic  grew  purple,  and  fell  on  the  sand.  The  prince  com 
manded  to  cover  him  with  a  mantle,  and  said,  - 

"  We  will  take  him  on  the  way  back. " 

After  great  toil  they  reached  the  top  of  the  sand  height,  and 
saw  the  Libyans.  For  them  too  the  road  had  been  murderous, 
two  of  their  horses  had  stopped. 

The  camp  of  the  Egyptian  army  was  hidden  completely 
behind  the  rolling  land,  and  if  Pentuer  and  the  Asiatics  had 
not  known  how  to  guide  themselves  by  the  sun  they  could  not 
have  gone  back  to  the  camping-place.  In  the  prince's  party 
another  man  fell,  and  threw  bloody  foam  from  his  mouth. 
He  was  left,  with  his  horse.  To  finish  their  trouble,  on  the 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  415 

outline  of  the  sands  stood  a  group  of  cliffs;  among  these  the 
Libyans  vanished. 

"Lord,"  said  Pentuer,  "that  ma}7  be  an  ambush." 

"Let  it  be  death,  and  let  it  take  me!"  replied  the  heir, 
in  a  changed  voice. 

The  priest  gazed  at  him  with  wonder;  he  had  not  supposed 
such  resolve  in  Rameses. 

The  cliffs  were  not  distant,  but  the  road  was  laborious 
beyond  description.  They  had  not  only  to  walk  themselves, 
but  to  drag  their  horses  out  of  the  soft  sand.  They  waded, 
sinking  below  their  ankles;  they  sank  to  their  knees  even  in 
some  places. 

Meanwhile  the  sun  was  flaming  above  them,  — that  dreadful 
sun  of  the  desert,  —  every  ray  of  which  not  only  baked  and 
blinded,  but  pricked  also.  The  men  dropped  from  weari 
ness:  in  one,  tongue  and  lips  were  swollen;  another  had  a 
roaring  in  his  head,  and  saw  black  patches  before  his  eyes; 
drowsiness  seized  a  third, — all  felt  pain  in  their  joints,  and 
lost  the  sensation  of  heat.  Had  any  one  asked  if  it  were  hot, 
they  would  not  have  answered. 

The  ground  grew  firm  under  their  feet  again,  and  the  party 
passed  in  between  the  cliffs. 

The  prince,  who  had  more  presence  of  mind  than  those  who 
were  with  him,  heard  the  snorting  of  horses ;  he  turned  to  one 
side,  and  in  the  shade  cast  by  the  cliff  saw  a  crowd  of  people 
lying  as  each  man  had  dropped.  Those  were  the  Libyans. 

One  of  them,  a  youth  of  twenty  years,  wore  an  embroidered 
purple  shirt,  a  gold  chain  was  around  his  neck,  and  he  carried 
a  sword  richly  mounted.  He  seemed  unconscious;  the  eyes 
were  turned  in  his  head,  and  there  was  foam  on  his  lips. 
In  him  Rameses  recognized  the  chief.  He  approached  him, 
drew  the  chain  from  his  neck,  and  unfastened  his  sword. 

Some  old  Libyan  who  seemed  less  wearied  than  others,  see 
ing  this,  called  out,  — • 

"Though  thou  art  victor,  Egyptian,  respect  the  prince's  son, 
who  is  chief." 

"Is  he  the  son  of  Musawasa?"  asked  Rameses. 

"Thou  hast  spoken  truth,"  replied  the  Libyan.  "This  is 
Tehenna,  the  son  of  Musawasa;  he  is  our  leader;  he  is  worthy 
to  be  even  prince  of  Egypt." 


416  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"But  where  is  Musawasa?" 

"In  Glaucus.     He  will  collect  a  great  army  and  avenge  us." 

The  other  Libyans  said  nothing ;  they  did  not  even  look  at 
their  conquerors. 

At  command  of  Rameses  the  Asiatics  disarmed  them  with 
out  the  least  trouble,  and  sat  down  in  the  shade  themselves. 

At  that  moment  they  were  all  neither  enemies  nor  friends, 
only  men  who  were  mortally  wearied.  Death  was  hovering 
over  all,  but  beyond  rest  they  had  no  desire. 

Pentuer,  seeing  that  Tehenna  remained  unconscious,  knelt 
near  him  and  bent  above  his  head  so  that  no  one  saw  what 
he  was  doing.  Soon  Tehenna  sighed,  struggled,  and  opened 
his  eyes;  then  he  sat  up,  rubbed  his  forehead,  as  if  roused 
from  a  deep  sleep,  which  had  not  yet  left  him. 

"Tehenna,  leader  of  the  Libyans,  thou  and  thy  people  are 
prisoners  of  his  holiness,"  said  Rameses. 

"Better  slay  me  here,"  said  Tehenna,  "if  I  must  lose  my 
freedom. " 

"If  thy  father,  Musawasa,  will  submit  and  make  peace 
with  Egypt,  thou  wilt  be  free  and  happy." 

The  Libyan  turned  his  face  aside,  and  lay  down  careless  of 
everything;  he  seemed  to  be  sleeping. 

He  came  to  himself,  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  somewhat 
fresher.  He  gazed  at  the  desert  and  cried  out  with  delight: 
on  the  horizon  a  green  country  w^as  visible, — water,  many 
palms,  and  somewhat  higher,  a  town  and  a  temple. 

Around  him  all  were  sleeping,  both  Asiatics  and  Libyans. 
But  Pentuer,  standing  on  a  rock,  had  shaded  his  eyes  with  his 
hand  and  was  looking  in  some  direction. 

"Pentuer!  Pentuer!"  cried  Rameses.  "Dost  thou  see  that 
oasis?  " 

He  sprang  up  and  ran  to  the  priest,  whose  face  was  full  of 
anxiety. 

"Dost  thou  see  the  oasis?" 

"That  is  no  oasis,"  said  Pentuer;  "that  is  the  ghost  of  some 
region  which  is  wandering  about  through  the  desert  —  a  region 
no  longer  in  existence.  But  over  there  —  over  there  —  is 
reality!"  added  he,  pointing  southward. 

"Are  they  mountains?" 


THE    PHARAOH    AND    THE    PRIEST  417 

"Look  more  sharply." 

The  prince  looked,  and  saw  something  suddenly. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  a  dark  mass  is  rising  —  my  sight  must 
be  dulled." 

"That  is  Typhon,"  whispered  the  priest.  "The  gods  alone 
have  power  to  save  us,  if  only  they  have  the  wish." 

Indeed,  Rameses  felt  on  his  face  a  breath,  which  amid  the 
heat  of  the  desert  seemed  all  at  once  hot  to  him.  That  breath, 
at  first  very  delicate,  increased,  growing  hotter  and  hotter, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  dark  streak  rose  in  the  sky  with 
astonishing  swiftness. 

"What  shall  we  do?"  asked  Rameses. 

"These  cliffs,"  said  the  priest,  "will  shelter  us  from  being 
covered  with  sand,  but  they  will  not  keep  away  dust  or  the 
heat  which  is  increasing  continually.  But  in  a  day  or  two 
days  — 

"Does  Typhon  blow  that  long?" 

"Sometimes  three  and  four  days.  But  sometimes  he  springs 
up  for  a  couple  of  hours,  and  drops  suddenly,  like  a  vulture 
pierced  with  an  arrow.  That  happens  very  rarely." 

The  prince  became  gloomy,  though  he  did  not  lose  courage. 
The  priest,  drawing  from  under  his  mantle  a  little  green  flask, 
said,  — • 

"Here  is  an  elixir.  It  should  last  thee  a  number  of  days. 
Whenever  thou  art  afraid,  or  feel  drowsy,  drink  a  drop.  In 
that  way  thou  wilt  be  strengthened  and  endure." 

"But  thou,  and  the  others?" 

"My  fate  is  in  the  hands  of  the  One.  As  to  the  rest  of  the 
people,  they  are  not  heirs  to  the  throne  of  Egypt." 

"I  do  not  wish  this  liquid!  "  cried  the  prince,  pushing  away 
the  little  bottle. 

"Thou  must  take  it!"  said  Pentuer.  "Remember  that  the 
Egyptian  people  have  fixed  their  hopes  on  thee.  Remember 
that  on  thee  is  their  blessing." 

The  black  cloud  had  covered  half  the  sky,  and  the  hot  wind 
blew  with  such  force  that  the  prince  and  priest  had  to  go  to 
the  foot  of  the  cliff. 

"The  Egyptian  people?  —  their  blessing?"  repeated 
Rameses. 

27 


418  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

All  at  once  he  called  out,  — 

"Was  it  thou  who  conversed  with  me  a  year  ago  in  the 
garden?  That  was  immediately  after  the  manoeuvres  — " 

"That  same  day,  when  thou  hadst  compassion  on  the  man 
who  hanged  himself  through  despair  because  his  canal  was 
destroyed,"  answered  the  priest. 

"Thou  didst  save  my  house  and  the  Jewess  Sarah  from  the 
rabble  who  wished  to  stone  her." 

"I  did,"  said  Pentuer.  "And  soon  after  thou  didst  free  the 
innocent  laborers  from  prison,  and  didst  not  permit  Dagon  to 
torture  thy  people  with  new  tribute." 

"For  this  people,"  continued  the  priest  in  a  louder  voice, 
"for  the  compassion  which  thou  hast  always  shown  them  I 
bless  thee  again  to-day.  Perhaps  thou  art  the  only  one  who 
will  be  saved  here,  but  remember  that  the  oppressed  people  of 
Egypt  will  save  thee,  they  who  look  to  thee  for  redemption." 

Hereupon  it  grew  dark ;  from  the  south  came  a  shower  of 
hot  sand,  and  such  a  mighty  wind  rose  that  it  threw  down  a 
horse  that  was  standing  in  the  open.  The  Asiatics  and  the 
Libyan  prisoners  all  woke,  but  each  man  merely  pressed  up  to 
the  cliff  more  closely,  and  possessed  by  great  fear  remained 
silent. 

In  nature  something  dreadful  was  happening.  Night  cov 
ered  the  earth,  and  through  the  sky  black  or  ruddy  clouds  of 
sand  rushed  with  mad  impetus.  It  seemed  as  though  all  the 
sand  of  the  desert,  now  alive,  had  sprung  up  and  was  fly 
ing  to  some  place  with  the  speed  of  a  stone  whirled  from  the 
sling  of  a  warrior. 

The  heat  was  like  that  in  a  bath:  on  the  hands  and  feet  the 
skin  burst,  the  tongue  dried,  breath  produced  a  pricking  in 
the  breast.  The  fine  grains  of  sand  burnt  like  fire  sparks. 

Pentuer  forced  the  bottle  to  the  prince's  lips.  Rameses 
drank  a  couple  of  drops  and  felt  a  marvellous  change:  the 
pain  and  heat  ceased  to  torment  him;  his  thought  regained 
freedom. 

"And  this  may  last  a  couple  of  days?  "  asked  he. 

"It  may  last  four,"  replied  Pentuer. 

"But  ye  sages,  favorites  of  the  gods,  have  ye  no  means  of 
saving  people  from  such  a  tempest?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  419 

The  priest  thought  awhile,  and  answered,  — 

"In  the  world  there  is  only  one  sage  who  can  struggle  with 
evil  spirits.  But  he  is  not  here." 

Typhon  had  been  blowing  for  half  an  hour  with  inconceiv 
able  fury.  It  had  become  almost  like  night.  At  moments 
the  wind  weakened,  the  black  clouds  pushed  apart;  in  the  sky 
was  a  bloody  sun,  on  the  earth  an  ominous  light  of  ruddy 
color.  The  hot  stifling  wind  grew  more  violent,  the  clouds  of 
sand  thicker.  The  ghastly  light  was  extinguished,  and  in  the 
air  were  heard  sounds  and  noises  to  which  human  ears  are  not 
accustomed. 

It  was  near  sunset,  but  the  violence  of  the  tempest  in 
creased,  and  the  unendurable  heat  rose  continually.  From 
time  to  time  a  gigantic  bloody  spot  appeared  above  the  hori 
zon,  as  if  a  world  fire  were  coming. 

All  at  once  the  prince  saw  that  Pentuer  was  not  before  him. 
He  strained  his  ear  and  heard  a  voice,  crying,  — 

"Beroes!  Beroes!  If  thou  cannot  help  us,  who  can? 
Beroes!  in  the  name  of  the  One,  the  Almighty,  who  knows 
neither  end  nor  beginning,  I  call  on  thee." 

On  the  northern  extremity  of  the  desert,  thunder  was  heard. 
The  prince  was  frightened,  since  thunder  for  an  Egyptian  was 
almost  as  rare  a  phenomenon  as  a  comet. 

"Beroes!  Beroes!"  repeated  the  priest  in  a  deep  voice. 

Rameses  strained  his  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  voice,  and 
saw  a  dark  human  figure  with  arms  uplifted.  From  the  head, 
the  fingers,  and  even  from  the  clothing  of  that  figure,  light 
bluish  sparks  were  flashing. 

"Beroes!  Beroes!" 

A  prolonged  roar  of  thunder  was  heard  nearer;  lightning 
gleamed  amid  clouds  of  sand,  and  filled  the  desert  with  lurid 
flashes. 

A  fresh  peal  of  thunder,  and  again  lightning. 

The  prince  felt  that  the  violence  of  the  tempest  was  decreas 
ing,  and  the  heat  also.  The  sand  which  had  been  whirled 
through  the  air  began  to  fall  to  the  earth  now,  the  sky  became 
ashen  gray,  next  ruddy,  next  milk-colored.  At  last  all  was 
silent,  and  after  a  while  thunder  wras  heard  again,  and  a  cool 
breeze  from  the  north  appeared. 


420  THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST 

The  Asiatics  and  Libyans,  tormented  by  heat,  regained 
consciousness. 

"Warriors  of  the  pharaoh,"  said  the  old  Libyan  on  a  sud 
den,  "do  ye  hear  that  noise  in  the  desert?  " 

"Will  there  be  another  tempest?  " 

"No;  that  is  rain." 

In  fact  some  cold  drops  fell  from  the  sky,  then  more  of 
them,  till  at  last  there  was  a  downpour  accompanied  by 
thunder. 

Among  the  soldiers  of  Rameses  and  their  prisoners  mad 
delight  sprang  up  suddenly.  Without  caring  for  the  thunder 
and  lightning  the  men,  who  a  moment  before  had  been  scorched 
with  heat,  and  tormented  by  thirst,  ran  under  the  rain  like 
small  children.  In  the  dark  they  washed  themselves  and  their 
horses,  they  caught  water  in  their  caps  and  leather  bags,  and 
above  all  they  drank  and  drank  eagerly. 

"Is  not  this  a  miracle?"  cried  Rameses.  "Were  it  not  for 
this  blessed  rain  we  should  all  perish  here  in  the  burning  grasp 
of  Typhon." 

"It  happens,"  said  the  old  Libyan,  "that  the  southern  sandy 
wind  rouses  a  wind  from  the  sea  and  brings  heavy  rain  to 
us." 

Rameses  was  touched  disagreeably  by  these  words,  for  he 
had  attributed  the  downpour  to  Pentuer's  prayers.  He  turned 
to  the  Libyan,  and  asked,  — 

"And  does  it  happen  that  sparks  flash  from  people's 
bodies?" 

"It  is  always  so  when  the  wind  blows  from  the  desert," 
answered  the  Libyan.  "Just  now  we  saw  sparks  jumping  not 
only  from  men,  but  from  horses." 

In  his  voice  there  was  such  conviction  that  the  prince  ap 
proaching  an  officer  of  his  cavalry  whispered,  — 

"But  look  at  the  Libyans." 

When  he  had  said  this  some  one  made  a  noise  in  the  dark 
ness,  and  after  a  while  tramping  was  heard.  When  a  flash 
lighted  up  the  desert  they  saw  a  man  escaping  on  horse 
back. 

"Bind  these  wretches!  "  cried  the  prince,  "and  kill  any  one 
who  resists  you.  Woe  to  thee,  Tehenna,  if  that  scoundrel  brings 


THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  421 

thy  brethren  against  us.  Ye  will  perish  in  dreadful  tortures, 
thou  and  thy  men  here." 

In  spite  of  rain,  darkness,  and  thunder  the  prince's  soldiers 
hurried  to  bind  the  Libyans,  who  made  no  resistance. 

Perhaps  they  were  waiting  for  Tehenna's  command,  but  he 
was  so  crushed  that  he  had  not  even  thought  of  fleeing. 

The  storm  subsided  gradually,  and  instead  of  that  heat  of 
the  daytime  a  piercing  cold  seized  the  desert.  The  men  and 
horses  had  drunk  all  they  wanted;  the  bags  were  full  of  water; 
there  were  dates  and  cakes  in  abundance,  so  a  good  disposition 
prevailed.  The  thunder  grew  weak;  at  last  even  noiseless 
lightning  flashed  less  and  less  frequently;  on  the  northern  sky 
the  clouds  parted ;  here  and  there  stars  twinkled. 

Pentuer  approached  Rameses,  — 

"Let  us  return  to  the  camp,"  said  he.  "In  a  couple  of  hours 
we  shall  be  there,  before  the  man  who  has  escaped  can  lead 
forth  an  enemy." 

"How  shall  we  find  the  camp  in  such  darkness?"  asked 
Rameses. 

"Have  ye  torches?  "  asked  the  priest  of  the  Asiatics. 

Torches,  or  long  cords  soaked  in  an  inflammable  substance 
they  had;  but  there  was  no  fire,  for  their  wooden  fire-drills 
were  rain  soaked. 

"We  must  wait  till  morning,"  said  Rameses,  impatiently. 

Pentuer  made  no  answer.  He  took  a  small  instrument  from 
his  bag,  took  a  torch  from  one  of  the  soldiers,  and  went  to  one 
side.  After  a  while  there  was  a  low  hissing,  and  the  torch 
was  lighted. 

"He  is  a  great  magician,  that  priest,"  muttered  the  old 
Libyan. 

"Before  my  eyes  thou  hast  performed  a  second  miracle,"  said 
the  prince.  "Canst  thou  explain  to  me  how  that  was  done?" 

The  priest  shook  his  head. 

"Ask  of  me  anything,  lord,  and  I  will  answer.  But  ask 
not  to  explain  temple  secrets." 

"Not  even  if  I  were  to  name  thee  my  counsellor?" 

"Not  even  then.  Never  shall  I  be  a  traitor,  and  even  if  I 
desired  to  be  one  I  should  be  terrified  by  punishment." 

"Punishment?"  repeated  Rameses.     "Aha!  I  remember  in 


422  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  temple  of  Hator,  that  man  hidden  under  the  pavement,  on 
whom  the  priests  were  pouring  burning  pitch.  Did  they  do 
that,  indeed,  and  did  that  man  die  really  in  tortures?" 

Pentuer  was  silent,  as  if  not  hearing  the  question,  and  drew 
out  slowly  from  his  wonderful  bag  a  small  statue  of  a  divinity 
with  crossed  arms.  The  statue  depended  from  a  string ;  the 
priest  let  it  hang,  and  whispered  a  prayer,  while  he  watched 
it.  The  statue,  after  some  turnings  and  quiverings,  hung 
without  motion. 

Rameses,  by  the  light  of  the  torch,  looked  at  these  acts  with 
astonishment. 

"What  art  thou  doing?  "  asked  he. 

"I  can  only  say  this  much  to  thee,  worthiness,"  replied 
Pentuer,  "that  this  divinity  points  with  one  hand  at  the  star 
Eshmun.1  This  hand  leads  Phoenician  ships  through  the  sea 
during  night  hours." 

"Then  the  Phoenicians,  too,  have  this  god?" 

"They  do  not  even  know  of  him.  The  god  which  points 
one  hand  always  to  the  star  Eshmun,  is  known  only  to  us  and 
the  priests  of  Chaldea.  By  the  aid  of  this  god  every  prophet 
night  and  day,  in  bad  and  good  weather,  can  find  his  way  on 
the  sea  or  in  the  desert." 

At  command  of  the  prince,  who  went  with  a  lighted  torch  at 
the  side  of  Pentuer,  the  retinue  and  the  prisoners  followed  the 
priest,  northeastward.  The  god  depending  from  a  string 
trembled,  but  indicated  with  outstretched  hand,  the  sacred  star, 
Eshmun,  the  guardian  of  travellers. 

They  went  on  foot  at  a  good  pace,  leading  the  horses.  The 
cold  was  so  sharp,  that  even  Asiatics  blew  on  their  hands,  and 
the  Libyans  trembled. 

With  that,  something  began  to  crackle  and  break  underfoot. 
Pentuer  stopped,  and  bent  down. 

"  In  this  place,"  said  he,  "  rain  has  made  a  pool  on  the  rock. 
And  see,  worthy  lord,  what  has  become  of  the  water." 

Thus  speaking,  he  raised  and  showed  the  prince  what 
seemed  a  plate  of  glass,  but  which  melted  in  his  hand. 

"  When  there  is  great  cold,"  said  he,  "  water  becomes  a 
transparent  stone." 

1  Polar  star. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  423 

The  Asiatics  confirmed  the  words  of  the  priest,  and  added 
that  far  away  in  the  north,  water  turned  into  stone  very  often, 
and  fog  turned  into  a  white  salt  which  is  tasteless,  but  breaks 
in  the  hands  and  causes  pain  in  the  teeth. 

The  prince  admired  Pentuer's  wisdom  still  more. 

Meanwhile,  the  northern  side  of  the  heavens  grew  clear, 
showing  the  Great  Bear  and  the  star,  Eshmun.  The  priest 
repeated  a  prayer  again,  put  the  guiding  god  into  his  bag,  and 
commanded  to  quench  the  torches,  and  to  leave  only  a  burning 
cord  which  kept  the  fire,  and  indicated  time  by  its  gradual 
burning. 

The  prince  enjoined  watchfulness  on  his  men,  and  taking 
Pentuer,  pushed  ahead  some  tens  of  paces. 

;t  Pentuer,"  said  he,  "•  from  this  hour  I  make  thee  my  coun 
sellor,  both  now  and  when  it  shall  please  the  gods  to  give  me 
the  crown  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt." 

"  How  have  I  deserved  this  favor?  " 

"  Before  my  eyes  thou  hast  done  deeds  which  show  great 
wisdom,  and  also  power  over  spirits.  Besides  thou  wert  ready 
to  save  me.  So,  although  it  is  thy  resolve  to  keep  many  things 
from  my  knowledge  — 

"  Pardon,  lord,"  interrupted  Pentuer.  "  For  gold  and  jewels, 
thou  wilt  find  traitors  shouldst  thou  need  them,  among  priests 
even.  But  I  am  not  of  those  men.  For  think,  were  I  to 
betray  the  gods,  what  bond  could  I  give  not  to  betray  thee 
also?" 

Rameses  grew  thoughtful. 

"  Thou  hast  answered  wisely,"  said  he.  "  But  it  is  a  wonder 
to  me  why  thou,  a  priest,  hast  for  me  kindness  in  thy  heart. 
Thou  didst  bless  me  a  year  ago,  and  to-day  thou  wouldst  not 
let  me  go  alone  into  the  desert,  and  hast  shown  me  great 
service," 

"  Because  the  gods  have  forewarned  me  that  thou  art 
worthy,  lord;  shouldst  thou  wish,  thou  mayst  rescue  the  ill- 
fated  people  of  Egypt." 

"  How  do  the  people  concern  thee?  " 

* '  I  came  from  them.  My  father  and  brother  raised  water 
long  days  from  the  Nile,  and  received  blows  of  sticks  for  their 
labor." 


424  THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  How  can  I  aid  the  people?  "  asked  Rameses. 

Pentuer  grew  animated. 

"Thy  people,"  said  he,  with  emotion,  "toil  too  much,  they 
pay  too  much  tribute,  they  suffer  persecution  and  misery. 
Hard  is  the  fate  of  the  toiling  man.  The  worm  eats  half  his 
harvest,  the  rhinoceros  the  other  half ;  in  the  fields,  a  legion  of 
mice  live ;  the  locust  comes,  —  the  cattle  trample,  —  the  spar 
rows  steal.  What  is  left  after  these  for  the  threshing  floor 
the  thief  takes.  Oh,  wretched  earth-tillers !  Now  comes  the 
scribe  to  the  boundary  and  mentions  the  harvest.  His  attend 
ants  have  sticks,  and  black  men  carry  palm  rods.  '  Give 
wheat !' say  they.  He  answers,  'There  is  none.'  They  flog 
him ;  immediately  they  stretch  him  out  at  full  length  —  they 
bind  him;  they  hurl  him  into  the  canal,  where  they  sink  him, 
head  downward.  They  bind  his  wife  in  his  presence  and  also 
his  children.  His  neighbors  flee,  carrying  their  wheat  away 
with  them."1 

"I  have  seen  that  myself,"  said  Rameses,  "and  have 
driven  off  at  least  one  scribe  of  that  sort.  But  can  I  be 
everywhere  to  forestall  injustice?" 

"  Thou  mayst  command,  lord,  not  to  torment  working-men 
needlessly.  Thou  mayst  decrease  taxes,  appoint  days  of  rest 
for  the  earth-tillers.  Thou  mayst  give  each  family  a  patch  of 
land,  even  the  harvest  of  which  would  be  theirs,  and  serve  to 
nourish  them.  In  the  opposite  case  they  will  feed  themselves 
as  they  now  do,  with  lotus  seeds,  rotten  fish  and  papyrus,  till 
thy  people  will  perish  finally.  But  show  them  favor  and  they 
will  rise." 

"Indeed,  I  will  do  so!"  said  Rameses.  "A  wise  owner 
will  not  let  cattle  starve  nor  work  beyond  the  strength  of 
their  bodies,  or  be  clubbed  without  reason.  This  must  be 
changed." 

Pentuer  halted. 

"  Dost  thou  promise  that,  worthy  lord  ?  " 

"  I  swear !  "  answered  Rameses. 

"  Then  I  swear  that  thou  wilt  be  the  most  famous  of  all  pha- 
raohs ;  before  thee  the  fame  of  Rameses  the  Great,  will  grow 
pale !  "  cried  the  priest,  mastering  himself  no  longer. 
1  Original  description. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  425 

The  prince  fell  to  thinking,  then  asked,  — 

"  What  can  we  two  do  against  those  priests  who  hate  me?  " 

"  They  fear  thee,  lord,"  answered  Pentuer.  "  They  fear  lest 
thou  begin  war  too  soon  against  Assyria?" 

"  What  is  that  to  them  if  the  war  be  successful?  " 

The  priest  bent  his  head  and  spread  his  hands,  but  was 
silent. 

''Then  I  will  tell  thee,"  cried  the  prince,  in  anger.  "They 
want  no  war !  They  fear  that  I  might  return  from  it  a  con 
queror,  laden  with  treasures,  urging  on  slaves  in  front  of  me. 
They  fear  this  because  they  wish  every  pharaoh  to  be  a  \veak 
tool  in  their  grasp,  — a  utensil  of  no  real  value, — a  utensil 
to  be  thrown  aside  when  the  wish  comes.  But  this  will 
not  happen  in  my  case.  Either  I  shall  do  what  I  plan,  and 
which  I,  as  the  son  and  heir  of  the  gods  have  the  right  to  do, 
or  I  shall  perish." 

Pentuer  drew  back,  and  muttered  an  exorcism. 

"  Speak  not  thus,  worthy  lord,"  said  he,  in  confusion,  "  lest 
evil  spirits  circling  through  the  desert  may  seize  thy  words.  A 
word,  —  remember  this,  ruler,  —  is  like  a  stone  sent  from  a 
sling ;  it  may  strike  a  wall,  rebound,  and  hit  the  man  who 
hurled  it." 

The  prince  motioned  with  his  hand  contemptuously. 

"  It  is  all  one,"  replied  he.  "A  life  in  wThich  eve^  one  stops 
my  will  has  no  worth  for  me.  When  the  gods  do  not  bar  me, 
the  winds  of  the  desert  do ;  when  evil  spirits  are  not  against 
me,  the  priests  are.  Is  the  power  of  a  pharaoh  to  be  of  such 
sort.  I  wish  to  do  what  my  mind  says,  to  give  account  to  my 
deathless  ancestors,  and  to  them  only,  not  to  this  or  that 
shaven  head,  who  pretends  to  interpret  the  will  of  divinity,  but 
who  is  really  seizing  power,  and  turning  my  wealth  to  his  own 
use." 

At  some  tens  of  yards  from  them  a  strange  cry  was  heard 
at  that  moment,  half  neighing,  half  bleating,  and  an  immense 
shadow  sped  past.  It  went  like  an  arrow,  and  as  far  as  could 
be  seen  had  a  humped  back  and  a  long  neck. 

From  the  prince's  retinue  came  sounds  of  fear. 

4 'That  is  a  griffin!  I  saw  its  wings  clearly,"  said  one  and 
another  of  the  Asiatics. 


426  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"The  desert  is  swarming  with  monsters,"  added  the  old 
Libyan. 

Rameses  was  afraid;  he  also  thought  that  the  passing 
shadow  had  the  head  of  a  serpent,  and  something  resembling 
short  wings. 

"  Do  monsters  really  show  themselves  in  the  desert?"  asked 
he  of  the  priest. 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Pentuer,  "  that  in  such  a  lonely  place  evil 
spirits  prowl  about  in  strange  guises.  But  it  seems  to  me  that 
that  which  has  passed  is  rather  a  beast.  It  is  like  a  saddle 
horse,  only  larger  and  quicker  in  movement.  Dwellers  in  the 
oases  say  that  this  beast  may  live  without  drinking  water  at 
all,  or  at  least  very  rarely.  If  that  be  the  case,  men  hereafter 
may  in  crossing  deserts  use  this  strange  creature,  which  to-day 
rouses  fear  only." 

" 1  should  not  dare  to  sit  on  the  back  of  a  great  beast  like 
that,"  said  Rameses,  as  he  shook  his  head. 

"  Our  ancestors  said  the  same  of  the  horse,  which  helped  the 
Hyksos  to  conquer  Egypt,  but  to-day  it  is  indispensable  to  our 
army.  Time  changes  men's  judgments  greatly,"  said  Pentuer. 

The  last  clouds  had  vanished  from  the  sky  and  a  clear  night 
set  in.  Though  the  moon  was  absent  the  air  was  so  clear  that 
on  the  background  of  the  white  sand  a  man  could  distinguish 
the  general  outline  of  objects,  even  when  small  or  distant. 
The  piercing  cold  also  diminished.  All  advanced  now  in  silence, 
and  sank,  as  they  walked,  in  the  sand  to  their  ankles.  Sud 
denly  a  tumult  and  cries  rose  among  the  Asiatics,  — 

"A  sphinx!  Look,  a  sphinx!  We  shall  not  escape  from 
this  desert  if  spectres  show  themselves  all  the  time." 

Indeed,  outlines  of  a  sphinx  on  a  white  limestone  hill  were 
seen  very  clearly.  The  body  of  a  lion,  an  immense  head  with 
an  Egyptian  cap,  and  as  it  were  a  human  profile. 

"  Calm  yourselves,  barbarians,"  said  the  old  Libyan. 
"That  is  no  sphinx;  it  is  a  lion,  and  he  will  do  no  harm,  for 
he  is  occupied  in  eating." 

"  Indeed,  that  is  a  lion ! "  confirmed  the  prince  halting. 
u  But  how  he  resembles  a  sphinx." 

"  He  is  the  father  of  our  sphinxes,"  added  the  priest  in  a  low 
voice.  "  His  face  recalls  a  man's  features,  his  mane  is  the  wig." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  427 

u  And  our  great  sphinx,  that  at  the  pyramids?  " 

''Many  ages  before  Menes,"  said  Pentuer,  "when  there 
were  no  pyramids  yet,  there  was  on  that  spot  a  rock  which 
looked  like  a  recumbent  lion,  as  if  the  gods  wished  in  that  way 
to  indicate  the  beginning  of  the  desert.  The  holy  priests  of 
that  period  commanded  artists  to  hew  the  rock  around  with 
more  accuracy  and  to  fill  out  its  lacks  by  additions.  The  artists, 
seeing  people  oftener  than  lions,  cut  out  the  face  of  a  man, 
and  thus  the  first  sphinx  had  its  origin." 

"  To  which  we  give  divine  honor,"  said  the  prince,  smiling. 

"And  justly,"  answered  the  priest.  "For  the  gods  made 
the  first  features  of  this  work  and  men  finished  them 
under  divine  guidance.  Our  sphinx  by  its  size  and  myste- 
riousness  recalls  the  desert.  It  has  the  posture  of  spirits 
wandering  through  it,  and  terrifies  men  as  does  the  desert. 
That  sphinx  is  really  the  son  of  the  gods  and  the  father  of 
terror." 

"Everything  has  in  its  own  way  an  earthly  beginning," 
answered  the  prince.  "  The  Nile  does  not  flow  from  heaven, 
but  from  certain  mountains  which  lie  beyond  Ethiopia. 
The  pyramids,  which  Herhor  said  were  an  image  of  our  state, 
are  built  on  the  model  of  mountain  summits.  And  our  temples, 
too,  with  their  pylons  and  obelisks,  with  their  gloom  and  cool 
ness,  do  they  not  recall  caves  and  mountains,  extending  along 
the  Nile  valley  ?  How  many  times  in  hunting  have  I  not  gone 
astray  among  eastern  ridges  !  I  have  always  struck  upon  some 
strange  collection  of  rocks  which  recalled  a  temple.  Frequently 
even,  on  their  rough  sides,  I  have  seen  hieroglyphs  written  by 
wind  and  by  rainstorms." 

"  In  that,  worthiness,  thou  hast  proof,"  said  Pentuer,  "  that 
our  temples  were  reared  on  a  plan  which  the  gods  themselves 
outlined.  And  as  a  small  kernel  cast  into  the  ground  gives 
birth  to  a  heaven-touching  palm  tree,  so  the  picture  of  a  cliff, 
a  cave,  a  lion,  even  a  lotus,  placed  in  the  soul  of  a  pious 
pharaoh,  gives  birth  to  an  alley  of  sphinxes,  to  temples  and 
their  mighty  columns.  Those  are  the  works  of  divinities,  not 
men,  and  happy  is  the  ruler  who  when  he  looks  can  discover 
divine  thought  in  earthly  objects  and  present  it  in  a  form 
pleasing  to  future  generations." 


428  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"But  such  a  ruler  must  have  power,  much  wealth,  and  not 
depend  on  the  fancies  of  priests,"  interrupted  Rameses. 

Before  them  extended  a  second  sandy  elevation,  on  which 
at  that  moment  appeared  some  horsemen. 

"Are  they  our  men,  or  the  Libyans?"  asked  Rameses. 

The  sound  of  a  horn  was  heard  from  the  eminence ;  to  this 
an  answer  was  given  by  the  prince's  retinue.  The  horsemen 
came  down  as  quickly  as  the  deep  sand  would  let  them.  When 
they  had  approached  one  cried  out,  - 

"  Is  the  heir  to  the  throne  here?  " 

44  He  is,  and  is  well !  "  cried  Rameses. 

They  dismounted  and  fell  on  their  faces. 

"  Oh,  Erpatr !  "  cried  the  leader  of  the  newly  arrived,  "  thy 
troops  are  rending  their  garments  and  scattering  dust  on  their 
heads,  thinking  that  thou  hast  perished.  All  the  cavalry  has 
scattered  over  the  desert  to  find  traces,  while  the  gods  have 
permitted  us,  the  unworthy,  to  be  first  to  greet  thee." 

The  prince  named  the  man  a  centurion  and  commanded  him 
to  present  his  subordinates  for  a  reward  on  the  morrow. 


CHAPTER   XLV 

HALF  an  hour  later  dense  throngs  of  the  Egyptian  army 
appeared  and  soon  the  escort  of  the  prince  was  in  the 
camp.  From  all  sides  were  heard  trumpets  sounding  the  recall. 
Warriors  seized  their  weapons,  stood  in  ranks  and  shouted. 
Officers  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  prince,  then  raised  him  in  their 
arms,  bore  him  around  before  the  divisions,  as  they  had  after 
the  triumph  of  the  day  previous.  The  walls  of  the  ravine 
trembled  from  the  shouts :  "  Live  through  eternity,  victor ! 
The  gods  are  thy  guardians  !  " 

The  holy  Mentezufis,  surrounded  by  torches,  approached 
now.  The  heir,  seeing  the  priest,  tore  himself  free  from  the 
arms  of  the  officers  and  hurried  to  him. 

"  Know,  holy  father,  we  have  caught  the  Libyan  chief 
Tehenna." 

u  Vain  is  the  capture,"  replied  the  priest  severely,  "  for 
which  the  supreme  chief  must  leave  his  army ;  especially  when 
a  new  enemy  may  attack  at  any  moment." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  429 

The  prince  felt  all  the  justice  of  this  reproach,  but  for  that 
very  cause  did  anger  spring  up  in  him.  He  clinched  his  fist, 
his  eyes  gleamed. 

"  In  the  name  of  thy  mother,  be  silent,"  whispered  Pentuer, 
standing  behind  him. 

The  heir  was  so  astonished  by  the  unexpected  words  of  his 
adviser,  that  in  one  moment  he  regained  self-control,  and  then  he 
understood  that  it  would  be  best  to  recognize  his  error. 

"Thou  speakest  truth,"  answered  he.  "An  army  should 
never  leave  its  leader,  nor  the  leader  his  army.  I  thought, 
however,  that  thou  wouldst  take  my  place,  since  thou  art  a 
representative  of  the  ministry  of  war." 

The  calm  answer  mollified  Mentezufis,  so  the  priest  did  not 
remind  the  prince  of  the  manoeuvres  of  the  previous  year  when 
he  left  the  army  in  the  same  way  and  incurred  the  pharaoh's 
disfavor. 

At  that  moment  Patrokles  approached  them  with  great 
uproar.  The  Grecian  general  was  drunk  again  and  called 
from  afar  to  the  viceroy,  — 

11  See,  0  heir,  what  the  holy  Mentezufis  has  done.  Thou 
didst  proclaim  pardon  to  the  Libyans  who  would  leave  the 
invaders  and  return  to  the  army  of  his  holiness.  Those  men 
came  to  me,  and  owing  to  thy  promise  I  broke  the  left  wing  of 
the  enemy.  But  the  worthy  Mentezufis  gave  command  to  slay 
every  man  of  them.  About  a  thousand  prisoners  have  perished 
—  all  recent  warriors  of  ours,  who  were  to  have  pardon." 

The  blood  rushed  to  the  prince's  head  again,  but  Pentuer, 
who  stood  there  always  behind  him,  whispered,  — 

"Be  silent,  for  the  sake  of  the  gods,  be  silent." 

But  Patrokles  had  no  adviser,  so  he  continued,  — 

14  From  this  moment  we  lose  forever,  not  only  the  confidence 
of  others,  but  also  that  of  our  own  people.  For  our  army 
must  become  demoralized  utterly  when  it  learns  that  traitors 
are  forcing  their  way  to  the  head  of  it." 

"Vile  hireling,"  replied  Mentezufis,  coldly,  "how  darest 
thou  talk  thus  of  the  army  and  the  confidants  of  his  holiness? 
Since  the  world  became  the  world  such  blasphemy  has  not 
been  uttered  !  And  I  fear  lest  the  gods  may  avenge  the  insult 
wrought  on  them." 


430  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Patrokles  laughed  loudly. 

"  While  I  sleep  among  the  Greeks,  I  am  not  afraid  of  the 
vengeance  of  night  gods.  And  while  I  am  on  the  alert  they 
will  do  nothing  in  the  daytime." 

"  Go  to  sleep !  go  among  thy  Greeks,  drunkard,"  said  Men- 
tezufis,  "lest  a  thunderbolt  fall  on  our  heads  because  of  thy 
offenses." 

"  On  thy  shaven  head,  thou  soul  worth  a  copper,  it  will  not 
fall,  for  it  would  think  thy  head  something  else,  "said  the  Greek, 
half  unconscious.  But  seeing  that  the  prince  did  not  support 
him,  he  withdrew  to  his  camp  ground. 

"  Didst  thou  really  command  to  kill  the  prisoners  in  spite 
of  my  promise  that  they  should  have  pardon?"  asked  the 
prince. 

"  Thou  wert  not  in  camp,  worthiness,"  replied  Mentezufis, 
"  hence  responsibility  falls  not  on  thee  for  that  deed :  while  I 
observe  our  military  laws,  which  command  to  destroy  traitorous 
warriors.  The  man  who  served  his  holiness  once  and  joins  his 
enemies  afterward  is  to  be  slain  immediately  —  that  is  the  law. " 

"But  if  I  had  been  here?" 

"As  supreme  leader  and  a  son  of  the  pharaoh  thou  couldst 
suspend  the  execution  of  certain  laws  which  I  must  obey," 
replied  Mentezufis. 

"  Couldst  thou  not  have  waited  till  my  return?  " 

"  The  law  commands  to  kill  immediately,  so  I  carried  out  its 
provisions." 

The  prince  was  so  stunned  that  he  interrupted  conversation 
and  withdrew  to  his  tent.  There  falling  into  a  seat  he  said  to 
Tutmosis,  — 

"  I  am  to-day  a  captive  of  the  priests.  They  murder  pris 
oners,  they  threaten  officers,  they  do  not  even  respect  my  duties. 
Did  ye  say  nothing  to  Mentezufis  when  he  commanded  to  kill 
those  unfortunate  prisoners?" 

"  He  shielded  himself  with  military  laws,  and  new  orders 
from  Herhor." 

"  But  it  is  I  who  am  leader  here,  though  I  went  out  for  half 
a  day." 

"Thou  didst  give  the  leadership  explicitly  into  my  hands  and 
into  those  of  Patrokles,"  answered  Tutmosis.  "But  when  the 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  431 

holy  Mentezutis  came  we  had  to  yield  to  him,  for  he  is  our 
superior." 

The  prince  thought  that  the  seizure  of  Tehenna  was  in  every 
case  purchased  with  surpassing  misfortunes.  At  the  same  time 
he  felt  in  all  its  force  the  significance  of  the  maxim  that  a  chief 
must  never  leave  his  army.  He  had  to  confess  his  error,  but 
that  irritated  his  pride  the  more  and  filled  him  with  hatred  for 
the  priesthood. 

"  Behold,"  said  he,  "I  am  in  captivity  even  before  I  have 
become  the  pharaoh,  may  his  holiness  live  through  eternity. 
So  to-day  I  must  begin  to  work  myself  out  of  this  slavery,  and 
first  of  all  to  be  silent.  Pentuer  is  right :  I  must  be  silent  al 
ways,  and  put  away  my  anger,  like  precious  jewels  into  the 
storehouse  of  memory.  But  when  it  is  full,  ye  will  pay  me,  O 
prophets." 

"Thou  dost  not  inquire,  worthiness,  for  the  results  of  the 
battle,"  said  Tutmosis. 

"  Aha,  just  that.     What  are  they?  " 

"  More  than  two  thousand  prisoners,  more  than  three  thou 
sand  killed,  and  barely  a  few  hundred  escaped." 

"  What,  then,  was  the  Libyan  army?"  asked  the  astonished 
prince. 

"  From  six  to  seven  thousand  men." 

"That  cannot  be.  Is  it  possible  that  almost  a  whole  army 
could  perish  in  such  an  encounter?" 

"And  still  it  is  so;  that  was  a  terrible  battle,"  replied  Tut 
mosis.  "Thou  didst  surround  them  on  all  sides,  the  soldiers 
did  the  rest,  well  —  yes  —  and  the  worthy  Mentezufis.  Even 
inscriptions  on  the  tombs  of  the  most  famous  pharaohs  do  not 
mention  such  a  crushing  of  the  enemies  of  Egypt." 

"Go  to  sleep,  Tutmosis;  I  am  wearied,"  interrupted  the 
prince,  feeling  that  pride  was  beginning  to  rise  to  his  head. 

"  Then  have  I  won  such  a  victory  ?  Impossible!"  thought 
he. 

He  threw  himself  on  to  the  skins,  but  though  mortally  weary 
he  could  not  sleep. 

Only  fourteen  hours  had  passed  since  the  moment  when  he 
had  given  the  signal  to  begin  the  battle.  Only  fourteen  hours? 
Was  it  possible ! 


432  THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Had  he  won  such  a  battle?  But  he  had  not  even  seen  a 
battle,  nothing  but  a  yellow  dense  cloud,  whence  unearthly 
shouts  were  poured  out  in  torrents.  Even  now  he  sees  that 
cloud,  he  hears  the  uproar,  he  feels  the  heat,  but  there  is  no 
battle. 

Next  he  sees  a  boundless  desert,  in  which  he  is  struggling 
through  the  sand  with  painful  effort.  He  and  his  men  have  the 
best  horses  in  the  army,  and  still  they  creep  forward  like  turtles. 
And  what  heat !  Impossible  for  man  to  support  the  like. 

And  now  Typhon  springs  up,  hides  the  light,  burns,  bites, 
suffocates.  Pale  sparks  are  shooting  forth  from  Pentuer's 
body.  Above  their  heads  thunder  rolls  —  such  thunder  as  he 
had  never  heard  till  that  day.  Later  on,  silent  night  in  the 
desert.  The  fleeing  griffin,  the  dark  outline  of  the  sphinx  on 
the  limestone  hill. 

"I  have  seen  so  much.  I  have  passed  through  so  much," 
thought  Rameses.  "I  have  been  present  at  the  building  of 
our  temples,  and  even  at  the  birth  of  the  great  sphinx,  which 
is  beyond  having  an  age  now,  and  —  all  this  happened  in  the 
course  of  fourteen  hours." 

Now  the  last  thought  flashed  before  the  prince:  "A  man  who 
has  passed  through  so  much  cannot  live  long." 

A  chill  went  through  him  from  head  to  foot,  and  he  fell 
asleep. 

He  woke  next  morning  a  couple  of  hours  after  sunrise.  His 
eyes  smarted,  all  his  bones  ached;  he  coughed  a  little,  but  his 
mind  was  clear  and  his  heart  full  of  courage. 

Tutmosis  was  at  the  door  of  the  tent. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  prince. 

"Spies  from  the  Libyan  boundary  bring  strange  news,"  said 
the  favorite.  "A  great  throng  of  people  are  approaching  our 
ravine,  not  troops,  however,  but  unarmed  men,  with  children 
and  women ;  at  the  head  of  them  is  Musawasa,  and  the  fore 
most  of  the  Libyans." 

"What  does  this  mean?" 

"Evidently  they  wish  to  beg  peace  of  thee." 

"After  one  battle?"  asked  the  prince,  with  wonder. 

"But  what  a  battle!  Besides,  fear  increases  our  army  in 
their  eyes.  They  fear  invasion  and  death." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  433 

"Let  us  see  if  this  is  a  military  stratagem,"  answered  the 
prince,  after  some  thought.  "How  are  our  men?  " 

"They  are  in  good  health,  they  have  eaten  and  drunk,  they 
have  rested  and  are  gladsome.  But  —  " 

"Bat  what?" 

"Patrokles  died  in  the  night,"  whispered  Tutmosis. 

"How?"  cried  the  prince,  springing  up. 

"Some  say  that  he  drank  too  much,  some  —  that  it  was  the 
punishment  of  the  gods.  His  face  was  blue  and  his  mouth 
full  of  foam." 

"Like  that  captive  in  Atribis,  thou  rememberest  him?  His 
name  was  Bakura;  he  broke  into  the  feasting  hall  with  com 
plaints  against  the  nomarch.  He  died  that  same  night  —  from 
drunkenness,  of  course.  What  dost  thou  think?" 

Tutmosis  dropped  his  head. 

"We  must  be  very  careful,  my  lord,"  whispered  he. 

"We  shall  try,"  answered  the  prince,  calmly.  "We  will  not 
even  wonder  at  the  death  of  Patrokles.  For  what  is  there  sur 
prising  in  this,  that  some  drunken  fellow  dies  who  insulted  the 
gods,  nay!  insulted  the  priests  even." 

Tutmosis  felt  a  threat  in  these  jeering  words. 

The  prince  had  loved  Patrokles  greatly.  The  Greek  leader 
had  been  as  faithful  as  a  dog  to  him.  Rameses  might  forget 
many  wrongs  done  himself,  but  the  death  of  that  man  he  would 
not  forgive. 

Before  midday  a  fresh  regiment,  the  Theban,  arrived  from 
Egypt  at  the  prince's  camp,  and  besides  that  some  thousands 
of  men  and  several  hundreds  of  asses  bringing  large  supplies 
of  provisions  and  also  tents.  At  the  same  time,  from  the 
direction  of  Libya,  returned  spies  with  information  that  the 
band  of  unarmed  people  coming  toward  the  ravine  was 
increasing. 

At  command  of  the  heir  numerous  small  detachments  of 
cavalry  reconnoitred  the  neighborhood  in  every  direction  to 
learn  if  a  hostile  army  were  not  hidden  somewhere.  Even 
the  priests,  who  had  brought  with  them  a  small  chapel  of 
Amon,  went  to  the  summit  of  the  highest  hill  and  held  a  reli 
gious  service.  Then  returning  to  the  camp,  they  assured 
Rameses  that  a  crowd  of  some  thousands  of  unarmed  Libyans 

28 


434  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

were  approaching,  but  that  there  was  no  army  at  any  point,  at 
least  none  within  a  fifteen  mile  radius. 

The  prince  laughed  at  the  report. 

"I  have  good  sight,"  said  he,  "but  I  could  not  see  an  army 
at  that  distance." 

The  priests,  after  they  had  counselled  together,  informed 
the  prince  that  if  he  would  bind  himself  not  to  tell  the  un 
initiated  what  he  saw  he  would  learn  that  it  was  possible  to 
see  at  great  distances. 

Rameses  took  an  oath.  The  priests  placed  the  altar  of 
Amon  on  a  height,  and  began  prayers.  When  the  prince  had 
washed,  removed  his  sandals,  offered  to  the  god  a  gold  chain 
and  incense,  they  conducted  him  to  a  small  box  which  was 
perfectly  dark  and  told  him  to  look  at  one  wall  of  it. 

After  a  while  sacred  hymns  were  intoned  during  which  a 
bright  circle  appeared  on  the  box.  Soon  the  bright  color 
grew  darker;  the  prince  saw  a  sandy  plain,  in  the  midst  of  it 
cliffs,  and  near  them  an  Asiatic  outpost. 

The  priests  sang  with  more  animation  and  the  picture 
changed.  Another  patch  of  the  desert  was  visible,  and  on  it 
a  group  of  people  who  looked  no  larger  than  ants.  Still  the 
movements  and  dress,  and  even  the  faces  of  the  persons  were 
so  definite  that  the  prince  could  describe  them. 

The  astonishment  of  the  heir  knew  no  bounds.  He  rubbed 
his  eyes,  touched  the  moving  picture.  Suddenly  he  turned 
away  his  face;  the  picture  vanished  and  darkness  remained. 

When  he  went  out  of  the  chapel  the  elder  priest  asked 
him,  — 

"Well,  Erpatr,  dost  thou  believe  now  in  the  might  of  the 
gods  of  Egypt?" 

"Indeed,"  answered  he,  "ye  are  such  great  sages  that  the 
whole  world  ought  to  give  you  offerings  and  homage.  If  ye 
can  see  the  future  in  an  equal  degree  nothing  can  oppose  you." 

After  these  words  a  priest  entered  the  chapel  and  began  to 
pray ;  soon  a  voice  was  heard  from  the  chapel,  saying,  — 

"Rameses!  the  fates  of  the  kingdom  are  weighed,  and  before 
another  full  moon  comes  thou  wilt  be  its  ruler." 

"O  gods !  "  cried  the  terrified  prince.  "Is  my  father  so  sick, 
then?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  435 

He  fell  on  his  face  in  the  sand ;  then  an  assisting  priest 
inquired  if  he  did  not  wish  to  learn  something  more. 

"Tell  me,  Father  Amon,  whether  my  plans  will  be  accom 
plished." 

After  a  while  a  voice  spoke  in  the  chapel. 

"If  thou  begin  no  war  in  the  east,  if  thou  give  offerings  to 
the  gods  and  respect  their  servants,  a  long  life  awaits  thee, 
and  a  reign  full  of  glory." 

After  the  miracles  which  had  happened  on  the  open  field,  in 
the  open  day,  the  excited  prince  returned  to  his  tent. 

"Nothing  can  resist  the  priests,"  thought  he  in  fear. 

He  found  Pentuer  in  the  tent. 

"Tell  me,  my  counsellor,"  said  he,  "whether  priests  can  read 
the  heart  of  a  man  and  unveil  his  secret  purpose." 

Pentuer  shook  his  head. 

"Sooner,"  answered  he,  "will  man  see  what  there  is  in  the 
centre  of  a  cliff  than  read  the  heart  of  another  man.  It  is 
even  closed  to  the  gods,  and  death  alone  can  discover  its 
secrets." 

Rameses  drew  a  deep  sigh  of  relief,  but  he  could  not  free 
himself  from  fear.  When,  toward  evening,  it  was  necessary  to 
call  a  military  council,  he  summoned  Mentezufis  and  Pentuer. 

No  one  mentioned  the  sudden  death  of  Patrokles;  perhaps 
because  there  was  more  urgent  business;  for  Libyan  envoys 
had  come  imploring  in  the  name  of  Musawasa  mercy  for  his 
son  Tehenna,  and  offering  to  Egypt  surrender  and  peace 
forever. 

"Evil  men,"  said  one  of  the  envoys,  "tempted  our  people 
saying  that  Egypt  was  weak;  that  her  pharaoh  was  the  shadow 
of  a  ruler.  But  yesterday  we  learned  how  strong  your  arm  is, 
and  we  consider  it  wiser  to  yield  and  pay  you  tribute  than 
expose  our  people  to  certain  death  and  our  property  to  ruin." 

When  the  military  council  had  heard  this  speech  the  Libyans 
were  sent  from  the  tent,  and  Prince  Rameses  asked  the  holy 
Mentezufis  directly  for  his  opinions;  this  astonished  even  the 
generals. 

"Only  yesterday,"  said  the  worthy  prophet,  "I  should  have 
been  glad  to  refuse  the  prayer  of  Musawasa,  transfer  the  war 
to  Libya,  and  destroy  that  nest  of  robbers.  But  to-day  I 


436  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

have  received  such  important  news  from  Memphis  that  I  will 
vote  for  mercy  to  the  conquered." 

uls  his  holiness,  my  father,  sick?"  inquired  the  prince,  with 
deep  emotion. 

"He  is  sick.  But  till  we  finish  with  the  Libyans  thou  must 
not  think  of  his  holiness." 

When  the  heir  dropped  his  head  in  sadness,  Mentezufis 
added,  — 

"I  must  perform  one  more  duty.  Yesterday,  worthy  prince, 
I  made  bold  to  offer  a  judgment  that  for  such  a  wretched 
captive  as  Tehenna,  a  chief  should  not  leave  his  army. 
To-day  I  see  that  I  was  mistaken,  for  if  thou  hadst  not 
seized  Tehenna  we  should  not  have  this  early  peace  with 
Musawasa.  Thy  wisdom,  chief,  has  proved  higher  than 
military  regulations." 

The  prince  was  arrested  by  this  compunction  on  the  part  of 
Mentezufis. 

"Why  does  he  speak  thus?"  thought  he.  "It  is  evident 
that  Amon  is  not  alone  in  knowing  of  my  holy  father's 
illness." 

And  in  the  soul  of  the  heir  the  old  feelings  were  roused,  — 
contempt  for  the  priests  and  distrust  of  their  miracles. 

"So  it  was  not  the  gods  who  told  me  that  I  should  soon 
become  pharaoh,  but  the  news  came  from  Memphis,  and  the 
priests  tricked  me  in  the  chapel!  But  if  they  lie  in  one  thing, 
who  will  assure  me  that  those  views  of  the  desert  shown  on  the 
wall  were  not  deceit  also?  " 

Since  the  prince  was  silent  all  the  time,  which  was  attributed 
to  his  sorrow  because  of  his  father's  illness,  and  the  generals 
did  not  dare  to  say  anything  after  the  decisive  words  of 
Mentezufis,  the  military  council  ended.  A  unanimous  decision 
was  made  to  stop  the  war,  take  the  very  highest  tribute  from 
the  Libyans,  and  send  them  an  Egyptian  garrison. 

All  expected  now  that  the  pharaoh  would  die.  But  Egypt,  to 
celebrate  a  funeral  wrorthy  of  its  ruler,  needed  profound  peace. 

When  leaving  the  tent  of  the  military  council  the  prince  said 
to  Mentezufis,  — 

"The  valiant  Patrokles  died  last  night;  do  ye  holy  fathers 
think  to  show  his  remains  honor?  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  437 

"He  was  a  barbarian  and  a  great  sinner,"  said  the  priest, 
"but  he  rendered  such  famous  services  to  Egypt  that  it  is 
proper  to  assure  life  beyond  the  grave  to  him.  If  thou  per 
mit,  worthiness,  we  will  send  the  body  of  that  man  this 
day  to  Memphis,  so  as  to  make  a  mummy  of  it,  and  take  it 
to  an  eternal  dwelling  in  Thebes  among  the  retreats  of  the 
pharaohs." 

The  prince  consented  willingly,  but  his  suspicions  rose. 

"Yesterday,"  thought  he,  "Mentezufis  threatened  me  as  he 
might  a  lazy  pupil,  and  it  was  even  a  favor  of  the  gods  that 
he  did  not  beat  my  back  with  a  stick ;  but  to-day  he  speaks  to 
me  like  an  obedient  son  to  a  father,  and  almost  falls  on  his 
breast  before  me.  Is  this  a  sign  that  power  is  drawing  near 
my  tent,  and  also  the  hour  of  reckoning  ?  " 

Thus  thinking,  the  prince  increased  in  pride,  and  his  heart 
was  filled  with  greater  wrath  against  the  priesthood.  Wrath 
which  was  the  worse  for  being  silent  like  a  scorpion  which  has 
hidden  in  the  sand  and  maims  the  incautious  foot  with  its 
biting  sting. 


CHAPTER  XLVI 

AT  night  the  sentries  gave  notice  that  a  throng  of  Libyans 
imploring  mercy  had  entered  the  valley.  Indeed  the 
light  of  their  fires  was  visible  on  the  desert. 

At  sunrise  the  trumpets  were  sounded,  and  all  the  Egyp 
tian  forces  were  drawn  up  under  arms  on  the  widest  part  of  the 
valley.  According  to  command  of  the  prince,  who  wished  to 
increase  the  fright  of  the  Libyans  —  the  carriers  were  arranged 
between  the  ranks  of  the  army,  and  men  on  asses  were  disposed 
among  the  cavalry.  So  it  happened  that  the  Egyptians  seemed 
as  numerous  as  sands  in  the  desert,  and  the  Libyans  were  as 
timid  as  doves,  over  which  a  falcon  is  soaring. 

At  nine  in  the  morning  his  gilded  war  chariot  stood  before 
the  tent  of  the  viceroy.  The  horses  bearing  ostrich  plumes 
reared  so  that  two  men  had  to  hold  each  of  them. 

Rameses  came  out  of  his  tent,  took  his  place  in  the  chariot, 
and  seized  the  reins  himself,  while  the  place  of  the  charioteer 


438  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

was  occupied  by  the  priest  Pentuer,  who  held  now  the  position 
of  counsellor.  One  of  the  commanders  carried  a  large  green 
parasol  over  the  prince;  behind,  and  on  both  sides  of  the 
chariot,  marched  Greek  officers  in  gilded  armor.  At  a  certain 
distance  behind  the  prince's  retinue  came  a  small  division  of 
the  guard,  in  the  midst  of  it  Teheima,  son  of  the  Libyan 
chief  Musawasa. 

A  few  hundred  paces  from  the  Egyptians,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  ravine,  stood  the  gloomy  crowd  of  Libyans  imploring  the 
conqueror's  favor. 

When  Rameses  came  with  his  suite  to  the  eminence  where 
he  was  to  receive  the  envoys  of  the  enemy,  the  army  raised 
such  a  shout  in  his  honor  that  the  cunning  Musawasa  was 
still  more  mortified,  and  whispered  to  the  Libyan  elders, — 

"I  say  to  you,  that  is  the  cry  of  an  army  which  loves  its 
commander." 

Then  one  of  the  most  restless  of  the  Libyan  chiefs,  a  great 
robber,  said  to  Musawasa,  — 

"Dost  thou  not  think  that  in  a  moment  like  this  we  should 
be  wiser  to  trust  to  the  swiftness  of  our  horses  than  to  the 
kindness  of  the  pharaoh's  sou?  He  must  be  a  raging  lion, 
which  tears  the  skin  even  when  stroking  it,  while  we  are  like 
lambs  snatched  away  from  our  mothers." 

"Do  as  may  please  thee,"  replied  Musawasa,  "thou.  hast  the 
whole  desert  before  thee.  But  the  people  sent  me  to  redeem 
their  faults,  and  above  all  I  have  a  son,  Tehenna,  on  whom  the 
prince  will  pour  out  his  wrath  unless  I  win  favor." 

To  the  crowd  of  Libyans  galloped  up  two  Asiatic  horsemen, 
who  declared  that  their  lord  was  waiting  for  submission. 

Musawasa  sighed  bitterly  and  went  toward  the  height  on 
which  the  conqueror  had  halted.  Never  before  had  he  made 
such  a  painful  journey.  Coarse  linen  used  by  penitents 
covered  his  back  imperfectly;  on  his  head,  sprinkled  with 
ashes,  the  heat  of  the  sun  was  burning;  sharp  pebbles  cut 
his  naked  feet,  and  his  heart  was  crushed  by  his  own  sorrow 
and  that  of  his  people. 

He  had  advanced  barely  a  few  hundred  paces,  but  he  was 
forced  to  halt  a  couple  of  times  to  rest  and  recover.  He  looked 
backward  frequently  to  be  sure  that  the  naked  slaves  carrying 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  439 

gifts  to  the  prince  were  not  stealing  gold  chains,  or  what  was 
worse,  stealing  jewels.  For  Musawasa  knowing  life,  knew 
that  man  is  glad  to  make  use  of  his  neighbor's  misfortune. 

11 1  thank  the  gods,"  said  the  cunning  barbarian,  comforting 
himself  in  mishap,  "  that  the  lot  has  come  to  me  of  humbling 
myself  to  a  prince  who  may  put  on  the  pharaoh's  cap  any 
moment.  The  rulers  of  Egypt  are  magnanimous,  especially  in 
time  of  triumph.  If  I  succeed  then  in  moving  my  lord  he  will 
strengthen  my  position  in  Libya,  and  permit  me  to  collect  a 
multitude  of  taxes.  It  is  a  real  miracle  that  the  heir  to  the 
throne  himself  seized  Tehenna;  and  not  only  will  he  not  do  him 
wrong,  but  he  will  cover  him  with  dignities.  "  Thus  he  thought 
and  looked  behind  continually,  for  a  slave,  though  naked,  may 
conceal  a  stolen  jewel  in  his  mouth,  and  even  swallow  it. 

At  thirty  steps  from  the  chariot  of  the  heir  Musawasa  and 
those  who  were  with  him,  the  foremost  of  the  Libyans,  fell 
upon  their  faces  and  lay  on  the  sand  till  command  to  rise  was 
given  them  through  the  prince's  adjutant.  When  they  had 
approached  a  few  steps  they  fell  again ;  later  they  fell  a  third 
time,  and  rose  only  at  command  of  Rameses. 

During  this  interval  Pentuer,  standing  at  the  prince's  chariot, 
whispered  to  his  lord,  — 

"  Let  thy  countenance  show  neither  harshness  nor  delight. 
Be  calm,  like  the  god  Amon,  who  despises  his  enemies  and 
delights  in  no  common  triumphs.  " 

At  last  the  penitent  Libyans  stood  before  the  face  of  the 
prince,  who  looked  at  them  as  a  fierce  hippopotamus  at  duck 
lings  which  have  no  place  to  hide  before  his  mightiness. 

"  Art  thou  he?  "  asked  Rameses,  suddenly.  "Art  thou  that 
Musawasa,  the  wise  Libyan  leader  ?  " 

"I  am  thy  servant,  "  answered  Musawasa,  and  he  threw 
himself  on  the  ground  again. 

When  they  ordered  him  to  rise,  the  prince  said,  — 

u  How  couldst  thou  commit  such  a  grievous  sin,  and  raise  thy 
hand  against  the  kingdom  of  the  gods  ?  Has  thy  former  wisdom 
deserted  thee?" 

"  Lord, "  answered  the  wily  Libyan,  "  sorrow  disturbed 
the  reason  of  the  disbanded  warriors  of  his  holiness,  so 
they  ran  to  their  own  destruction,  drawing  me  and  mine  after 


440  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

them.  And  the  gods  alone  know  how  long  this  dreadful  war 
might  have  lasted  if  at  the  head  of  the  army  of  the  ever  living 
pharaoh,  Amon  himself  had  not  appeared  in  thy  semblance. 
Thou  didst  fall  on  us  like  a  storm  wind  of  the  desert,  when 
thou  wert  not  expected,  where  thou  wert  not  expected,  and  as 
a  bull  breaks  a  reed  so  didst  thou  crush  thy  blinded  opponent. 
All  people  then  understood  that  even  the  terrible  regiments  of 
Libya  had  value  only  while  thy  hand  sent  them  forward." 

u  Thou  speakest  wisely,  Musawasa,  "  said  the  viceroy,  "  and 
thou  hast  done  still  better  to  meet  thus  the  army  of  the  divine 
pharaoh,  instead  of  waiting  till  it  came  to  thee.  But  I  should 
be  glad  to  know  how  sincere  thy  obedience  is. " 

"  Let  thy  countenance  be  radiant,  great  potentate  of  Egypt,  "  1 
answered  Musawasa.  u  We  come  to  thee  as  subjects,  may 
thy  name  be  great  in  Libya,  be  thou  our  sun,  as  thou  art  the 
sun  of  nine  nations.  Only  command  thy  subordinates  to  be  just 
to  us  the  conquered  people  who  are  joined  to  thy  powrer.  Let 
thy  officials  govern  us  justly  and  with  conscience,  and  not  ac 
cording  to  their  own  evil  wishes,  reporting  falsely  concerning 
our  people,  and  rousing  thy  disfavor  against  us  and  our  chil 
dren.  Command  them,  O  viceroy  of  the  victorious  pharaoh,  to 
govern  according  to  thy  will,  sparing  our  freedom,  our  property, 
our  language,  and  the  customs  of  our  ancestors  and  fathers. 

u  Let  thy  laws  be  equal  for  all  subjects,  let  not  thy  officials 
favor  some  too  much  and  be  too  harsh  toward  others  ;  let  their 
sentences  be  of  the  same  kind  for  all.  Let  them  collect  the 
tribute  predestined  for  thy  needs  and  for  thy  use.  but  let  them 
not  take  secretly  other  tributes  which  never  go  into  thy  treas 
ury,  and  enrich  only  thy  servants  and  the  servants  of  those 
servants. 

"  Command  them  to  govern  without  injustice  to  us  and  our 
children,  for  thou  art  to  us  a  deity  and  a  ruler  forever.  Imitate 
the  sun,  which  sends  his  light  to  all  and  gives  life  and  strength 
to  them.  We,  thy  Libyan  subjects,  implore  thy  favor  and  fall 
on  our  faces  before  thee,  O  heir  of  the  great  and  mighty 
pharaoh. " 

So  spoke  the  crafty  Libyan  prince,  Musawasa,  and  after  he 
had  finished  speaking  he  prostrated  himself  again.  But  when 
1  An  inscription  on  the  monument  of  Horem-Hep,  1470  yeai-s  u.  c. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  441 

the  pharaolrs  heir  heard  these  wise  words  his  eyes  glittered, 
and  his  nostrils  dilated  like  those  of  a  young  stallion  which 
after  good  feeding  runs  to  a  field  where  mares  are  at  pasture. 

"Rise,  Musawasa,  and  listen  to  what  I  tell  thee.  Thy  fate 
and  that  of  thy  people  depend  not  on  me,  but  on  that  gracious 
lord  who  towers  above  us  all,  as  the  sky  above  the  earth.  I 
advise  thee,  then,  to  go  and  to  take  Libyan  elders  hence  to 
Memphis,  and,  falling  on  thy  face  before  the  leader  and  the  god 
in  this  world,  to  repeat  the  humble  prayer,  which  I  have  heard 
here  from  thee. 

"  I  know  not  what  the  effect  of  thy  prayer  will  be;  but  since 
the  gods  never  turn  from  him  who  implores  and  is  repentant,  I 
have  a  feeling  that  thou  wilt  not  meet  a  bad  reception. 

"And  now  show  me  the  gifts  intended  for  his  holiness,  so 
that  I  may  judge  whether  they  will  move  the  heart  of  the  all- 
powerful  pharaoh. " 

At  this  moment  Mentezufis  gave  a  sign  to  Pentuer  who  was 
standing  on  the  prince's  chariot. 

When  Pentuer  descended  and  approached  the  holy  man  with 
honor,  Mentezutis  whispered, — 

"  I  fear  lest  the  triumph  may  rise  to  the  head  of  our  young 
lord  over  much.  Dost  thou  not  think  it  would  be  wise  to  inter 
rupt  the  solemnity  in  some  way  ?  " 

"On  the  contrary,"  answered  Pentuer,  "  do  not  interrupt 
the  solemnity,  and  I  guarantee  that  he  will  not  have  a  joyous 
face. " 

"  Thou  wilt  perform  a  miracle." 

"If  I  succeed  I  shall  merely  show  him  that  in  this  world 
great  delight  is  attended  by  deep  suffering.  " 

"Do  as  thou  wishest, "  said  Mentezufis,  "for  the  gods  have 
given  thee  wisdom  worthy  a  member  of  the  highest  council. " 

Trumpets  and  drums  were  heard,  and  the  triumphal  review 
began. 

At  the  head  of  it  went  naked  slaves  bearing  gifts.  Rich 
Libyans  guarded  these  bondmen  who  carried  gold  and  silver 
divinities,  boxes  filled  with  perfumes,  enamelled  vessels,  stuffs, 
furniture,  finally  gold  dishes  dotted  with  rubies,  sapphires,  and 
emeralds.  The  slaves  wrho  bore  these  had  shaven  heads  and 
were  gagged  lest  some  one  of  them  might  steal  a  costly  jewel. 


442  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Rameses  rested  both  hands  on  the  edge  of  the  chariot  and 
looked  from  the  height  of  the  hill  at  the  Libyans,  and  at  his 
own  men,  as  a  golden-headed  eagle  looks  down  on  many  colored 
partridges.  Pride  filled  the  prince  from  foot  to  head,  and  all 
present  felt  that  it  was  impossible  to  have  more  power  than  was 
possessed  by  that  victorious  commander. 

But  in  one  instant  the  prince's  eyes  lost  their  brightness, 
and  on  his  face  the  bitterest  surprise  was  depicted.  Peutuer 
was  standing  near  him,  — 

"Bend  thy  ear,  lord,"  whispered  he.  "Since  thou  hast  left 
Pi-Bast  wondrous  changes  have  taken  place  there.  Thy  Phre- 
nician  woman,  Kama,  has  fled  with  Lykon. " 

"With  Lykon?  "  repeated  the  prince. 

"Move  not,  Erpatr,  and  show  not  to  thousands  that  thou 
f eelest  sorrow  in  the  day  of  thy  triumph. " 

Now  there  passed  below  the  prince  an  endless  line  of  Libyans 
with  fruit  and  bread  in  baskets,  as  well  as  wine  and  olive  oil 
in  roomy  pitchers  for  the  army.  At  sight  of  this  a  murmur  of 
delight  was  spread  among  the  warriors,  but  Rameses,  occupied 
with  Pentuer's  story,  took  no  note  of  what  was  passing. 

"The  gods,"  said  the  prophet  in  a  whisper,  "have  punished 
the  traitorous  Kama." 

"Is  she  caught?"  inquired  the  prince. 

"She  is  caught,  but  they  have  sent  her  to  the  eastern  colony, 
because  leprosy  attacked  her." 

"O  gods!  "  whispered  Rameses.  "But  may  it  not  threaten 
me?" 

"Be  calm,  lord;  if  it  had  infected  thee  thou  wouldst  be 
leprous  this  moment." 

The  prince  felt  a  chill  in  every  member.  How  easy  for  the 
gods  to  thrust  a  man  down  from  the  highest  summits  to  the 
depths  of  the  lowest  misery ! 

"And  Lykon?" 

"He  is  a  great  criminal,"  said  Pentuer;  "a  criminal  of  such 
kind  that  the  earth  has  given  few  such." 

"I  know  him.  He  is  as  like  me  as  a  reflection  of  me  in  a 
mirror,"  replied  Rameses. 

Now  came  a  crowd  of  Libyans  leading  strange  animals. 
At  the  head  of  these  was  a  one-humped  camel  with  white  hair, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  443 

one  of  the  first  which  they  had  caught  in  the  desert,  next  two 
rhinoceroses,  a  herd  of  horses,  and  a  tame  lion  caged.  Then 
a  multitude  of  cages  holding  birds  of  various  colors,  monkeys, 
and  small  dogs  intended  for  court  ladies.  Behind  them  were 
driven  great  herds  of  cattle,  and  flocks  of  sheep  as  food  for 
the  pharaoh's  army. 

The  prince  cast  an  eye  on  the  moving  menagerie,  and  asked 
the  priest,  — 

"But  is  Lykon  caught?" 

"I  will  tell  thee  now  the  worst  news,  unhappy  lord,"  whis 
pered  Pentuer.  "But  remember  that  the  enemies  of  Egypt 
must  not  notice  grief  in  thee." 

The  heir  moved. 

"Thy  second  woman,  Sarah  the  Jewess  —  " 

"Has  she  run  away  too?  " 

"She  died  in  prison." 

"O  gods!     Who  dared  imprison  her?" 

"She  confessed  that  she  killed  thy  son." 

"What?" 

A  great  cry  was  heard  at  the  prince's  feet:  the  Libyan 
prisoners  captured  in  battle  were  marching  past,  and  at  the 
head  of  them  the  sorrowful  Tehenna. 

Rameses  had  at  that  moment  a  heart  so  full  of  pain  that  he 
nodded  to  Tehenna,  and  said,  — 

"Stand  near  thy  father  Musawasa,  so  that  he  may  touch 
thee,  and  see  thee  living. " 

At  these  words  all  the  Libyans  and  the  whole  army  gave 
forth  a  mighty  shout;  but  the  prince  did  not  hear  it. 

"Is  my  son  dead?  "  asked  he  of  the  priest.  "Sarah  accused 
herself  of  child-murder?  Did  madness  fall  on  her?  " 

"The  vile  Lykon  slew  thy  son." 

"O  gods  give  me  strength!  "  groaned  Rameses. 

"Restrain  thyself,  lord,  as  becomes  a  victorious  leader." 

"Is  it  possible  to  conquer  such  pain?  O  gods  without 
pity!" 

"Lykon  slew  thy  son;  Sarah  accused  herself  to  save  thee, 
for  seeing  the  murderer  in  the  night  she  mistook  him  for  thee." 

"  And  I  thrust  her  out  of  my  house !  And  I  made  her  a  ser 
vant  of  the  Phoenician!  " 


444  THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST 

Now  appeared  Egyptian  warriors  bearing  baskets  filled  with 
hands  which  had  been  cut  from  the  fallen  Libyans. 

At  sight  of  this  Rameses  hid  his  face  and  wept  bitterly. 

The  generals  surrounded  the  chariot  at  once  and  gave  their 
lord  consolation.  The  holy  Mentezufis  made  a  proposition 
which  was  received  immediately,  that  thenceforth  the  Egyptian 
army  would  not  cut  off  the  hands  of  enemies  who  had  fallen  in 
battle. 

With  this  unforeseen  incident  ended  the  first  triumph  of  the 
heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt.  But  the  tears  which  he  shed  over 
the  severed  hands  attached  the  Libyans  to  him  more  than  the 
victorious  battle.  No  one  wondered  then  that  around  the  fires 
Libyan  and  Egyptian  warriors  sat  in  concord  sharing  bread, 
and  drinking  wine  from  the  same  goblet.  Instead  of  wars 
which  were  to  last  for  years,  there  was  a  deep  feeling  of  peace 
and  confidence. 

Rameses  gave  command  that  Musawasa,  Tehenna,  and  the 
foremost  Libyans  should  go  to  Memphis  straightway,  and  he 
gave  them  an  escort,  not  so  much  to  watch  them  as  to  safe 
guard  their  persons  and  the  treasures  which  they  were  taking. 
The  prince  withdrew  to  a  tent  then,  and  did  not  appear  again 
until  a  number  of  hours  had  passed.  He  was  like  a  man  to 
whom  pain  is  the  dearest  companion.  He  did  not  receive 
even  Tutmosis. 

Toward  evening  a  deputation  of  Greeks  appeared  under  the 
leadership  of  Kalippos.  When  the  heir  asked  what  their  wish 
was  Kalippos  answered,  — 

"We  have  come,  lord,  to  implore  that  the  body  of  our  leader, 
thy  servant  Patrokles,  should  not  be  given  to  Egyptian  priests, 
but  be  burned  in  accord  with  Greek  usage." 

The  prince  was  astonished. 

"Is  it  known  to  you,"  asked  he,  "that  the  priests  wish  to 
make  of  the  remains  of  Patrokles  a  mummy  of  the  first  order, 
and  to  put  it  near  the  graves  of  the  pharaohs?  Can  honor 
greater  than  this  meet  a  man  anywhere?" 

The  Greeks  hesitated;  at  last  Kalippos  took  courage  and 
answered,  — 

"Our  lord,  permit  us  to  open  our  hearts  to  thee.  We  know 
well  that  the  making  of  a  mummy  is  of  more  profit  to  a  man 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  445 

than  to  burn  him,  for  the  soul  of  a  burned  man  is  transferred 
to  eternal  regions  immediately;  the  soul  of  a  mummied  man 
may  live  during  thousands  of  years  on  this  earth  and  enjoy  its 
beauties. 

"But  the  Egyptian  priests,  O  chief,  • — let  this  not  offend  thy 
ears  —  hated  Patrokles.  Who  will  assure  us,  then,  that  these 
priests  in  making  him  a  mummy  are  not  detaining  him  on 
earth  so  as  to  subject  him  to  tortures?  And  what  would  our 
worth  be  if  we  who  suspect  revenge  did  not  protect  from  it 
the  soul  of  our  compatriot  and  leader?  " 

Great  was  the  prince's  astonishment. 

"Do,"  said  he,  "as  ye  think  proper." 

"But  if  they  will  not  give  us  the  body?" 

"Prepare  the  funeral  pile;  I  will  attend  to  the  rest  of  the 
ceremony." 

The  Greeks  left  the  tent.     The  prince  sent  for  Mentezufis. 


CHAPTER   XLVII 

THE  priest  observed  the  heir  stealthily,  and  found  him 
much  changed.  Rameses  was  pale;  he  had  almost 
grown  thin  in  a  few  hours ;  his  eyes  had  lost  their  glitter  and 
had  sunk  beneath  his  forehead. 

When  Mentezufis  heard  what  the  Greeks  had  in  mind  he  did 
not  hesitate  a  moment  to  surrender  the  body  of  Patrokles. 

"The  Greeks  are  right,"  said  the  holy  man,  "in  thinking 
that  we  have  power  to  torment  the  shade  of  Patrokles,  but  they 
are  fools  to  suppose  that  any  priest  of  Chaldea  or  Egypt 
would  permit  such  a  crime.  Let  them  take  the  body  of  their 
compatriot,  if  they  think  that  after  death  he  will  be  happier 
under  protection  of  their  own  rites. " 

The  prince  sent  an  officer  straightway  with  the  needful 
order,  but  he  detained  Mentezufis.  Evidently  he  wished  to 
say  something  to  him,  though  he  hesitated. 

After  some  silence  Rameses  asked  suddenly,  — 

"Thou  knowest,  of  course,  holy  prophet,  that  one  of  my 
women,  Sarah,  is  dead,  and  that  her  son  was  murdered?" 

"That  happened,"  said  Mentezufis,  "the  night  that  we 
inarched  from  Pi-Bast." 


446  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  prince  sprang  up. 

"By  the  eternal  Amon!  "  cried  he.  "Did  that  take  place  so 
long  ago,  and  ye  did  not  mention  it?  Ye  did  not  even  tell  me 
that  I  was  suspected  of  murdering  my  own  son?" 

"Lord,"  said  the  priest,  "the  leader  of  an  army  in  the  day 
before  battle  has  neither  son  nor  father;  he  has  no  one  what 
ever  save  the  army  and  the  enemy.  Could  we  in  extreme 
moments  disturb  thee  with  such  tidings?" 

"That  is  true,"  replied  the  prince,  after  some  thought.  "If 
we  were  attacked  to-day  I  am  not  sure  that  I  could  command 
the  army.  In  general  I  am  not  sure  of  my  power  to  regain 
peace  of  mind. 

"Such  a  little  —  such  a  beautiful  child!  And  that  woman 
who  sacrificed  herself  for  me  after  I  had  wronged  her  griev 
ously.  Never  have  I  thought  that  misfortunes  of  such  sort 
could  happen,  and  that  people's  hearts  could  endure  them." 

"Time  heals  —  time  and  prayer,"  whispered  the  priest. 

The  prince  nodded,  and  again  there  was  such  silence  in  the 
tent  that  the  dropping  of  sand  in  the  hour  glass  was  audible. 

Again  the  heir  rallied,  - 

"Tell  me,  holy  father,"  said  he,  "unless  it  belongs  to  the 
great  secrets,  what  is  the  real  difference  between  burning  the 
dead  and  the  making  of  mummies?  for  though  I  have  heard 
something  at  school  I  do  not  understand  clearly  this  question, 
to  which  the  Greeks  attach  such  importance." 

"We  attach  far  more,  the  greatest  importance  to  this 
question,"  replied  Mentezufis.  "To  this  our  cities  of  the  dead 
testify;  they  occupy  a  whole  region  in  the  western  desert.  The 
pyramids  testify  to  it  also;  they  are  the  tombs  of  the  pharaohs 
of  the  ancient  kingdom,  and  the  immense  tombs  which  are  cut 
in  cliffs  for  the  rulers  of  our  period. 

"Burial  and  the  tomb  are  of  great  importance  —  the  very 
greatest  human  importance.  For  while  we  live  in  bodily  form 
fifty  or  a  hundred  years,  our  shades  endure  tens  of  thousands 
till  they  are  perfectly  purified. 

"The  Assyrian  barbarians  laugh  at  us,  saying  that  we  give 
more  to  the  dead  than  the  living ;  but  they  would  weep  over 
their  own  lack  of  care  for  the  dead  did  they  know  the  mystery 
of  death  and  the  tomb  as  do  the  priests  of  Egypt." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  447 

The  prince  started  up. 

"Thou  dost  terrify  me,"  said  he.  "Dost  forget  that  among 
the  dead  there  are  two  beings  dear  to  me,  and  these  are  not 
buried  according  to  Egyptian  ritual." 

"On  the  contrary.  Just  now  men  are  embalming  them. 
Both  Sarah  and  thy  son  will  have  everything  which  may  profit 
them  in  the  long  journey." 

"Will  they?"  asked  Rameses,  as  if  comforted. 

"I  guarantee, '\answered  Mentezufis,  "that  everything  will 
be  done  which  is  needed,  and  should  this  earthly  life  ever  be 
unpleasant  to  thee  thou  wilt  find  them  happy  in  the  other." 

On  hearing  this  Rameses  was  greatly  affected. 

"Then  dost  thou  think,  holy  man,"  inquired  he,  "that  I  shall 
find  my  son  some  time,  and  that  I  shall  be  able  to  say  to  that 
woman :  4  Sarah,  I  know  that  I  have  been  too  harsh  to  thee  ? ' ' 

"I  am  as  certain  of  it  as  that  I  see  thee  now,  worthy  lord," 
replied  the  prophet. 

"Speak,  speak  of  this!"  exclaimed  the  prince.  "A  man 
does  not  think  of  the  grave  till  he  has  put  a  part  of  himself 
there.  This  misfortune  has  struck  me,  and  struck  just  when 
I  thought  myself  more  powerful  than  any  save  the  pharaoh." 

"Thou  hast  inquired,  lord,"  began  Mentezufis,  "as  to  the 
difference  between  burning  the  dead  and  embalming  them. 
We  find  the  same  difference  that  there  is  between  destroying  a 
garment  and  preserving  it  in  a  closet.  W^hen  the  garment  is 
preserved  it  may  be  of  use  frequently ;  and  if  a  man  has  only 
one  garment  it  would  be  madness  to  burn  it." 

"I  do  not  understand  this,"  interrupted  Rameses.  "Ye  do 
not  explain  it  even  in  the  higher  schools." 

"But  we  can  tell  it  to  the  heir  of  the  pharaoh.  Thou 
knowest,-  worthiness,"  continued  the  priest,  "that  a  human 
being  is  composed  of  three  parts:  the  body,  the  divine  spark, 
and  the  shade,  or  Ka,  which  connects  the  body  and  the  divine 
spark. 

"When  a  man  dies  his  shade  separates  from  his  body  as  does 
the  divine  spark.  If  the  man  lives  without  sin  the  divine 
spark  and  the  shade  appear  among  the  gods  to  live  through 
eternity.  But  each  man  sins,  stains  himself  in  this  world; 
therefore  his  shade,  the  A*a,  must  purify  itself,  for  thousands 


448  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

of  years  sometimes.  It  purifies  itself  in  this  way,  that  being 
invisible  it  wanders  over  our  earth  among  people  and  does 
good  in  its  wandering,  —  though  the  shades  of  criminals,  even 
in  life  beyond  the  grave,  commit  offences,  and  at  last  destroy 
themselves  and  the  divine  spark  contained  in  them. 

"Now  —  and  this  is  no  secret  for  thee,  worthiness  —  this 
shade,  the  Ka,  is  like  a  man,  but  looks  as  though  made  of 
most  delicate  mist.  The  shade  has  a  head,  hands,  body,  it 
can  walk,  speak,  throw  things  or  carry  them,  it  dresses  like  a 
man,  and  even,  especially  during  a  few  hundred  of  the  earlier 
years  after  death,  must  take  some  food  at  intervals.  But  the 
shade  obtains  its  main  strength  from  the  body  which  remains 
on  the  earth  here.  Therefore  if  we  throw  a  body  into  a  grave 
it  spoils  quickly  and  the  shade  must  satisfy  itself  with  dust 
and  decay.  If  we  burn  the  body  the  shade  has  nothing  but 
ashes  with  which  to  gain  strength.  But  if  we  embalm  the 
body,  or  preserve  it  for  thousands  of  years  the  shade  Ka  is 
always  healthy  and  strong;  it  passes  the  time  of  purification 
in  calmness,  and  even  agreeably." 

"  Wonderful  things !  "  whispered  the  heir. 

' '  Priests  in  the  course  of  investigations  during  thousands  of 
years  have  learned  important  details  of  life  beyond  the  grave. 
They  have  convinced  themselves  that  if  the  viscera  are  left 
in  the  body  of  a  dead  man,  his  shade,  the  Ka,  has  a  great 
appetite,  and  needs  as  much  food  as  a  man  during  earthly 
existence,  and  if  food  is  withheld  it  will  rush  at  living  people 
and  suck  the  blood  out  of  them.  But  if  the  viscera  are  removed 
from  the  body,  as  we  remove  them,  the  shade  lives  on  without 
food  almost :  its  own  body,  embalmed  and  filled  with  plants 
which  are  strongly  fragrant,  suffices  it  for  millions  of  years. 

"It  has  been  verified,  also,  that  if  the  tomb  of  a  dead  man 
is  empty  the  shade  yearns  for  the  world  and  wanders  about  in 
it  needlessly.  But  if  we  place  in  a  mortuary  chapel  the  clothing, 
furniture,  arms,  vessels,  utensils,  things  pleasant  during  life 
to  the  dead  man,  if  the  walls  are  covered  with  paintings 
depicting  feasts,  hunts,  divine  services,  wars,  and,  in  general, 
events  in  which  the  departed  took  share,  if  besides  we  add 
statues  of  members  of  his  family,  servants,  horses,  dogs  and 
cattle,  the  shade  will  not  go  out  to  the  world  without  need, 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST  449 

for  it  will  find  what  it  wants  in  the  house  of  the  dead  with  its 
mummy. 

* '  Fiually  they  have  convinced  themselves  that  many  shades, 
even  after  penance  is  finished,  could  not  enter  regions  of  end 
less  bliss  since  they  know  not  the  needful  prayers,  incanta 
tions,  and  conversations  with  gods.  We  provide  for  that  by 
winding  the  mummies  in  papyruses,  on  which  are  written  sen 
tences,  and  by  putting  the  '  Book  of  the  Dead '  in  their 
coffins. 

"  In  one  word,  our  funeral  ritual  assures  strength  to  the 
shade,  preserves  it  from  misfortunes  and  yearnings  after  earth, 
facilitates  its  entrance  to  the  company  of  gods,  and  secures 
living  people  from  every  harm  which  shades  might  inflict  on 
them.  Our  great  care  of  the  dead  has  this  in  view  specially ; 
hence  we  erect  for  them  almost  palaces  and  in  them  dwellings 
with  the  greatest  ornaments." 

The  prince  thought  awhile,  but  said  finally,  — 

"  I  understand  that  ye  show  great  kindness  to  weak  and 
defenceless  shades  by  caring  for  them  in  this  manner.  But 
who  will  assure  me  that  there  are  shades  ?  " 

"  That  there  is  a  waterless  desert,"  said  the  priest,  "  I  know, 
for  I  see  it,  I  have  sunk  in  its  sands  and  felt  heat  in  it.  That 
there  are  countries  in  which  water  turns  to  stone,  and  steam 
into  white  down,  I  know  also,  for  credible  witnesses  have  in 
formed  me." 

"  But  how  do  ye  know  of  shades  which  no  man  has  seen,  and 
how  do  ye  know  of  their  life  after  death  since  no  one  of  them 
has  ever  returned  to  us  ?  " 

"Thou  art  mistaken,  worthiness,"  replied  the  priest. 
"  Shades  have  shown  themselves  more  than  once,  and  even 
revealed  their  own  secrets. 

V  "It  is  possible  to  live  ten  years  in  Thebes  and  not  see  rain  : 
it  is  possible  to  live  a  hundred  years  on  earth  and  not  meet  a 
shade.  But  whoso  should  live  hundreds  of  years  in  Thebes, 
or  live  thousands  of  years  on  earth  would  see  more  than  one 
rain,  and  more  than  one  shade." 

"  Who  has  lived  thousands  of  years?"  inquired  Rameses. 

"  The  sacred  order  of  priests  has  lived,  is  living,  and  will 
live,"  replied  Mentezufis.  "The  sacred  order  of  priests 

29 


450  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

settled  on  the  Nile  thirty  thousand  years  ago.  Since  then  it 
has  scrutinized  the  heavens  and  the  earth ;  it  has  created  our 
wisdom,  and  made  the  plan  of  every  field,  sluice,  canal, 
pyramid,  and  temple  in  Egypt." 

"  That  is  true.  The  order  of  priests  is  mighty  and  wise,  but 
where  are  the  shades?  What  man  has  seen  them,  and  who  is 
the  person  who  has  spoken  to  them  ?  " 

"Know  this,  lord,"  said  Mentezufis.  "There  is  a  shade 
in  each  living  man ;  as  there  are  people  distinguished  for 
immense  strength,  or  a  marvellous  swiftness  of  vision,  so 
there  are  men  who  possess  the  uncommon  gift  that  during  life 
they  can  separate  their  own  shades  from  their  bodies. 

"  Our  secret  books  are  filled  with  the  most  credible  narratives 
touching  this  subject.  More  than  one  prophet  has  been  able 
to  fall  into  a  sleep  that  is  deathlike.  At  that  time  his  shade 
separated  from  the  body  and  transferred  itself  in  a  moment 
to  Tyre,  Babylon,  or  Nineveh,  examined  what  it  wished,  listened 
to  counsels  relating  to  us,  and  after  the  awakening  of  the 
prophet  gave  the  most  minute  account  of  all  that  it  had  wit 
nessed.  More  than  one  evil  magician,  after  falling  asleep  in 
like  fashion,  has  sent  out  his  shade  against  a  man  whom  he 
hated,  and  overturned  or  destroyed  furniture  and  terrified  a 
whole  household. 

"  It  has  happened,  too,  that  the  man  attacked  by  the  shade 
of  the  magician  struck  the  shade  with  a  spear  or  a  sword,  and 
on  his  house  bloody  traces  were  left,  while  the  magician  received 
on  his  body  that  wound  exactly  which  was  inflicted  on  his 
shade. 

"  More  than  once  also  has  a  shade  of  a  living  man  appeared 
in  company  with  him,  but  some  steps  distant." 

"  I  know  such  shades,"  said  the  prince  ironically. 

"I  -must  add,"  continued  Mentezufis,  "that  not  only  people, 
but  animals,  plants,  stones,  buildings,  and  utensils  have  shades 
also.  But  —  a  wonderful  thing  —  the  shade  of  an  inanimate 
object  is  not  dead,  it  possesses  life,  moves,  goes  from  place  to 
place,  it  even  thinks  and  expresses  thought  through  various 
signs,  most  frequently  through  knocking. 

"When  a  man  dies  his  shade  lives  and  shows  itself  to  people. 
In  our  books  thousands  of  such  cases  are  noted ;  some  shades 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  451 

asked  for  food,  others  walked  about  in  houses,  worked  iu  a 
garden,  or  hunted  in  the  mountains  with  the  shades  of  their 
dogs  and  cats  with  them.  Other  shades  have  frightened  people, 
destroyed  their  property,  drunk  their  blood,  even  enticed  living 
persons  to  excesses.  But  there  are  good  shades :  those  of 
mothers  nursing  their  children,  of  soldiers,  fallen  in  battle,  who 
give  warning  of  an  ambush  of  an  enemy,  of  priests  who  reveal 
important  secrets. 

' '  In  the  eighteenth  dynasty  the  shade  of  the  pharaoh,  Cheops, 
who  was  doing  penance  for  oppressing  people  while  building 
the  great  pyramid,  appeared  in  Nubian  gold  mines,  and  in 
compassion  for  the  sufferings  of  toiling  convicts  showed  them 
a  new  spring  of  water." 

"Thou  tellest  curious  things,  holy  man,"  replied  Rameses; 
"  let  me  now  tell  thee  something.  One  night  in  Pi-Bast  my 
own  shade  appeared  to  me.  That  shade  was  just  like  me,  and 
even  dressed  like  me.  Soon,  however,  I  convinced  myself  that 
it  was  no  shade.  It  was  a  living  man,  a  certain  Lykon,  the  vile 
murderer  of  my  son.  He  began  his  offences  by  frightening 
the  Phoenician  woman  Kama.  I  appointed  a  reward  for  seizing 
him  —  but  our  police  not  only  did  not  seize  the  man,  they 
even  permitted  him  to  seize  that  same  Kama  and  to  slay  a 
harmless  infant. 

4 'To-day  I  hear  that  they  have  captured  Kama,  but  I  know 
nothing  of  Lykon.  Of  course  he  is  living  in  freedom,  in 
good  health,  cheerful  and  rich  through  stolen  treasures;  may 
be  making  ready  for  new  crimes  even." 

"So  many  persons  are  pursuing  that  criminal  that  he  must 
be  taken  at  last,"  said  Mentezufis.  "And  if  he  falls  into  our 
hands  Egypt  will  pay  him  for  the  sufferings  which  he  has 
caused  the  heir  to  her  throne.  Believe  me,  lord,  thou  mayst 
forgive  all  his  crimes  in  advance,  for  the  punishment  will  be 
in  accord  with  their  greatness." 

"I  should  prefer  to  hasre  him  in  my  own  hands,"  said  the 
prince.  "It  is  always  dangerous  to  have  such  a  '  shade  '  while 
one  is  living."1 

1  It  is  curious  that  the  theory  of  shades,  on  which  very  likely  the  uncom 
mon  care  of  the  Egyptians  for  the  dead  was  huilt,  has  revived  in  our  times 
in  Europe.  Adolf  d'Assier  explains  it  minutely  in  a  pamphlet  "  Essai  sur 
I'  kumanite  posthume  et  le  spiritisms,  par  un  positiviste." 


452  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Not  greatly  pleased  by  this  end  of  his  explanation,  the  holy 
Mentezufis  took  leave  of  the  viceroy.  After  the  priest  had 
gone,  Tutmosis  entered. 

"The  Greeks  are  raising  the  pile  for  their  chief,"  said  he, 
"and  a  number  of  Libyan  women  have  agreed  to  wail  at  the 
funeral  ceremony." 

"We  shall  be  present,"  answered  Rameses.  "Dost  thou 
know  that  my  son  is  killed?  —  such  a  little  child.  When  I 
carried  him  he  laughed  and  held  out  his  little  hands  to  me. 
What  wickedness  may  be  in  the  human  heart  is  beyond  com 
prehension.  If  that  vile  Lykon  had  attempted  my  life  I  could 
understand,  even  forgive  him.  But  to  slay  a  little  child -A— ! 

"But  have  they  told  thee  of  Sarah's  devotion  ?"  inquired 
Tutmosis. 

"She  was,  as  I  think,  the  most  faithful  of  women,  and  I  did 
not  treat  her  justly.  But  how  is  it,"  cried  the  prince,  strik 
ing  his  fist  on  the  table,  "that  they  have  not  seized  that 
wretch  Lykon  to  this  moment?  The  Phoenicians  swore  to  me, 
and  I  promised  a  reward  to  the  chief  of  police.  There  must  be 
some  secret  in  this  matter." 

Tutmosis  approached  the  prince,  and  whispered,  — 

"A  messenger  from  Hiram  has  been  with  me.  Hiram, 
fearing  the  anger  of  the  priests,  is  hiding  before  he  leaves 
Egypt.  Hiram  has  heard,  from  the  chief  of  police  in  Pi -Bast 
perhaps,  that  Lykon  was  captured —  But  quiet!"  added  the 
frightened  Tutmosis. 

The  prince  fell  into  anger  for  a  moment,  but  soon  mastered 
himself. 

"Captured?  "  repeated  he.     "Why  should  that  be  a  secret?  " 

"It  is,  for  the  chief  of  police  had  to  yield  him  up  to  the  holy 
Mefres  at  his  command  in  the  name  of  the  supreme  council." 

"Aha!  aha!"  repeated  the  heir.  "So  the  revered  Mefres 
and  the  supreme  council  need  a  man  who  resembles  me  so 
much?  Aha!  They  are  to  give  my  son  and  Sarah  a  beautiful 
funeral,  and  embalm  their  remains.  But  the  murderer  they 
will  secrete  safely.  Aha! 

"And  the  holy  Mentezufis  is  a  great  sage.  He  told  me  to 
day  all  the  secrets  of  life  beyond  the  grave;  he  explained  to 
me  the  whole  funeral  ritual,  as  if  I  were  a  priest  at  least  of  the 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  453 

third  degree.  But  touching  the  seizure  of  Lykon,  the  hiding 
of  that  murderer  by  Mefres,  not  a  word!  Evidently  the  holy 
fathers  are  more  occupied  by  minute  secrets  of  the  heir  to  the 
throne  than  with  the  great  secrets  of  future  existence.  Aha !  " 

"It  seems  to  me,  lord,  that  thou  shouldst  not  wonder  at 
that,"  interrupted  Tutmosis.  "Thou  knowest  that  the  priests 
suspect  thee  of  ill-will,  and  are  on  their  guard.  All  the 
more  —  " 

"What,  all  the  more?" 

"Since  his  holiness  is  very  ill.     Very." 

"Aha!  my  father  is  ill,  and  I  meanwhile  at  the  head  of  the 
army  must  watch  the  desert  lest  the  sand  should  run  out  of  it. 
It  is  well  that  thou  hast  reminded  me  of  this !  Yes,  his  holi 
ness  must  be  very  ill,  since  the  priests  are  so  tender  toward 
me.  They  show  me  everything  and  speak  of  everything, 
except  this,  that  Mefres  has  secreted  Lykon. 

"Tutmosis,"  said  the  prince  on  a  sudden,  "dost  thou  think 
to-day  that  I  can  reckon  on  the  army  ?  " 

"We  will  go  to  death,  only  give  the  order." 

"And  dost  thou  reckon  on  the  nobles? " 

"As  on  the  army." 

"That  is  well.     Now  we  may  render  the  rites  to  Patrokles." 


CHAPTER   XLVIII 

IN  the  course  of  those  few  months,  during  which  Prince  Ram- 
eses  had  fulfilled  the  duties  of  viceroy  of  Lower  Egypt,  his 
holiness  the  pharaoh  had  failed  in  health  continually.  The 
moment  was  approaching  in  which  the  lord  of  eternity,  who 
roused  delight  in  human  hearts,  the  sovereign  of  Egypt,  and  of 
all  lands  on  which  the  sun  shone,  had  to  occupy  a  place  at  the 
side  of  his  revered  ancestors  in  the  Libyan  catacombs  which 
lie  on  the  other  side  of  the  city  Teb. 

Not  over  advanced  in  age  was  this  potentate,  the  equal  of  the 
gods,  he  who  gave  life  to  his  subjects,  and  had  power  to  take 
from  husbands  their  wives  whenever  his  heart  so  desired.  But 
thirty  and  some  years  of  rule  had  so  wearied  him  that  he 
wished,  of  his  own  accord,  to  rest  and  regain  youth  and  beauty 


454  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

in  that  kingdom  of  the  west,  where  each  pharaoh  reigns  with 
out  care  through  eternity  over  people  who  are  so  happy  that 
no  man  of  them  has  ever  wished  to  return  to  this  earth  from 
that  region. 

Half  a  year  earlier  the  holy  lord  had  exercised  every  activity 
connected  with  his  office,  on  which  rested  the  safety  and  pros 
perity  of  all  visible  existence. 

Barely  ha(]  the  cocks  crowed  in  the  morning  when  the 
priests  roused  the  sovereign  with  a  hymn  in  honor  of  the 
rising  sun.  The  pharaoh  rose  from  his  bed  and  bathed  in  a 
gilded  basin  containing  water  fragrant  with  roses.  Then  his 
divine  body  was  rubbed  with  priceless  perfumes  amid  the 
murmur  of  prayers,  which  had  the  power  of  expelling  evil 
spirits. 

Thus  purified  and  incensed  by  prophets,  the  lord  went  to  a 
chapel,  removed  a  clay  seal  from  the  door  and  entered  the 
sanctuary  unattended,  where  on  a  couch  of  ivory  lay  the 
miraculous  image  of  Osiris.  This  image  had  the  wondrous 
quality  that  every  night  the  hands,  feet  and  head  fall  from  it. 
These ^on  a  time  had  been  cut  off  by  the  evil  god  Set;  but  after 
the  prayer  of  the  pharaoh  all  the  members  grew  on  without 
evident  reason. 

When  his  holiness  convinced  himself  that  Osiris  was  sound 
again  he  took  the  statue  from  the  couch,  bathed  it,  dressed  it 
in  precious  garments,  and  putting  it  on  a  malachite  throne 
burnt  incense  before  it.  This  ceremony  was  vastly  important, 
for  if  any  morning  the  divine  members  would  not  grow 
together  it  would  signify  that  Egypt,  if  not  the  whole  world, 
was  threatened  by  measureless  misfortune. 

After  the  resurrection  and  restoration  of  the  god,  his  holiness 
opened  the  door  of  the  chapel,  so  that  through  it  blessings  might 
flow  forth  to  the  country.  Then  he  designated  the  priests,  who 
all  that  day  were  to  guard  the  sanctuary,  not  so  much  against  the 
ill-will,  as  the  frivolity  of  people.  For  more  than  once  it  hap 
pened  that  a  careless  mortal  who  had  gone  too  near  that  most 
holy  place  received  an  invisible  blow  which  deprived  him  of 
consciousness  or  of  life,  even. 

After  he  had  finished  divine  service,  the  lord  went,  surrounded 
by  chanting  priests  to  a  great  hall  of  refection,  where  stood  a 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  455 

small  table  and  an  armchair  for  him  and  nineteen  other  tables 
before  nineteen  statues  which  represented  the  nineteen  preced 
ing  dynasties.  When  the  sovereign  had  seated  himself  youths 
and  maidens  came  in  with  silver  plates,  on  which  were  meat 
and  cakes,  also  pitchers  of  wine.  The  priest,  the  inspector  of 
the  dishes,  tasted  what  was  on  the  first  dish,  and  what  was  in 
the  first  pitcher,  then,  on  his  knees,  he  gave  these  to  the  pha- 
raoh,  but  the  other  plates  and  pitchers  were  placed  before  the 
statues  of  the  pharaoh's  ancestors.  When  the  sovereign  had 
satisfied  his  hunger  and  left  the  hall  princes  or  priests  had  the 
right  to  eat  food  intended  for  the  ancestors. 

From  the  hall  of  refection  the  lord  betook  himself  to  the 
grand  hall  of  audience.  There  the  highest  dignitaries  of  state, 
and  the  nearest  members  of  the  family  prostrated  themselves 
before  him,  after  that  the  minister,  Herhor ;  the  chief  treasurer, 
the  supreme  judge,  and  the  supreme  chief  of  police  made  reports 
to  him.  The  reading  was  varied  by  religious  music  and  danc 
ing,  during  which  wreaths  and  flowers  were  cast  on  the  throne 
of  the  pharaoh. 

After  the  audience  his  holiness  betook  himself  to  a  side 
chamber  and  reposing  on  a  couch  slumbered  lightly  for  a  time  ; 
then  he  offered  wine  and  incense  to  the  gods,  and  narrated  to 
the  priests  his  dreams,  from  which  those  sages  made  the  final 
disposition  in  affairs  which  his  holiness  was  to  settle. 

But  sometimes,  when  there  were  no  dreams,  or  when  the 
interpretation  of  them  seemed  inappropriate  to  the  pharaoh,  his 
holiness  smiled  and  commanded  kindly  to  act  in  this  way  or 
that  in  given  cases.  This  command  was  law  which  no  one 
might  change  except  in  the  execution  perhaps  of  details. 

In  hours  after  dinner  his  holiness,  borne  in  a  litter,  showed 
himself  in  the  court  to  his  faithful  guard,  and  then  he  ascended 
to  the  roof  and  looked  toward  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth, 
to  impart  to  them  his  blessing.  At  that  moment  on  the  sum 
mits  of  pylons  banners  appeared,  and  mighty  sounds  came  from 
trumpets.  Whoso  heard  these  sounds  in  the  city  or  the  country, 
an  Egyptian  or  a  stranger,  fell  on  his  face  so  that  a  portion  of 
supreme  grace  might  descend  on  him. 

At  that  moment  it  was  not  permitted  to  strike  man,  or 
beast :  a  stick  raised  over  a  man's  back  dropped  of  itself.  If 


456  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

a  criminal  sentenced  to  death,  declared  that  the  sentence  was 
read  to  him  at  the  time  when  the  lord  of  earth  and  heaven  had 
appeared,  his  punishment  was  lessened.  For  before  the 
pharaoh  went  might,  and  behind  him  followed  mercy. 

When  he  had  made  his  people  happy,  the  ruler  of  all  things 
beneath  the  sun  entered  his  gardens  among  palms  and  syca 
mores,  there  he  sat  a  longer  time  than  elsewhere,  receiving 
homage  from  his  women  and  looking  at  the  amusements  of  the 
children  of  his  household.  When  one  of  them  arrested  his  at 
tention  by  beauty  or  adroitness  he  called  it  up,  and  made 
inquiry,  — 

"  Who  art  thou,  my  little  child?  " 

"  I  am  Prince  Binotris,  the  son  of  his  holiness,"  answered 
the  little  boy. 

u  And  what  is  thy  mother's  name?  " 

"  My  mother  is  the  lady  Ameses,  a  woman  of  his  holiness." 

"  What  dost  thou  know?  " 

"  I  know  how  to  count  to  ten  and  to  write :  '  May  he  live 
through  eternity  our  god  and  father,  his  holiness  the  pharaoh 
Rameses ! ' " 

The  lord  of  eternity  smiled  benignly  and  touched  with  his 
delicate,  almost  transparent,  hand  the  curly  head  of  the  sprightly 
little  boy.  Then  the  child  became  a  prince  really,  though  the 
smile  of  his  holiness  was  ever  enigmatical.  But  whoso  had 
been  touched  by  the  divine  hand  was  not  to  know  misfortune 
in  life  and  had  to  be  raised  above  others. 

The  sovereign  dined  in  another  hall  of  refection  and  shared 
his  meal  with  the  gods  of  all  the  divisions  of  P^gypt,  gods  whose 
statues  were  ranged  along  the  walls  there.  Whatever  the  gods 
did  not  eat  went  to  the  priests  and  higher  court  dignitaries. 

Toward  evening  his  holiness  received  a  visit  from  Lady 
Nikotris,  the  mother  to  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt ;  looked 
at  religious  dances  and  heard  a  concert.  After  that  he  went 
again  to  the  bath  and,  thus  purified,  entered  the  chapel  of 
Osiris  to  undress  and  lay  to  sleep  the  marvellous  divinity. 
When  he  had  finished  this  he  closed  and  sealed  the  chapel 
door  and  then,  surrounded  by  a  procession  of  priests,  the  pha 
raoh  went  to  his  bed-chamber. 

In  an  adjoining  apartment  the   priests  offered  up,   till  the 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  457 

following  sunrise,  silent  prayers  to  the  soul  of  the  pharaoh, 
which  found  itself  among  gods  during  the  sleep  of  the 
sovereign.  They  laid  before  it  their  prayers  for  a  favor 
able  transaction  of  current  state  business,  for  guardianship 
over  the  boundaries  of  Egypt,  and  over  the  tombs  of  the 
pharaohs,  so  that  no  thief  might  dare  to  enter  in  and  disturb 
the  endless  rest  of  those  potentates.  But  the  prayers  of  the 
priests,  because  of  night  weariness,  surely,  were  not  always 
effectual,  for  state  difficulties  increased,  and  sacred  tombs 
were  robbed,  not  only  of  costly  objects,  but  even  of  the  mum 
mies  of  sovereigns. 

This  was  because  various  foreigners  had  settled  in  the  coun 
try  and  unbelievers  from  whom  the  people  learned  to  disregard 
the  gods  of  Egypt  and  the  most  sacred  places. 

The  repose  of  the  lord  of  lords  was  interrupted  exactly  at 
midnight.  At  that  hour  the  astrologers  roused  his  holiness  and 
informed  him  in  what  mansion  the  moon  was,  what  planets  were 
shining  above  the  horizon,  what  constellations  were  passing  the 
meridian  and  whether  in  general  something  peculiar  had  taken 
place  in  heavenly  regions.  For  sometimes  clouds  appeared  or 
stars  fell  in  greater  number  than  usual,  or  a  fiery  ball  flew  over 
Egypt. 

The  lord  listened  to  the  report  of  the  astrologers.  In  case 
of  any  unusual  phenomenon  he  pacified  them  concerning  the 
safety  of  the  world,  and  commanded  to  write  down  all  obser 
vations  on  appropriate  tablets,  which  were  sent  every  month  to 
priests  of  the  temple  of  the  Sphinx,  the  greatest  sages  in  Egypt. 
Those  men  drew  conclusions  from  those  tablets,  but  the  most 
important  they  declared  to  no  one,  unless  to  their  colleagues 
the  Chaldean  priests  in  Babylon. 

After  midnight  his  holiness  might  sleep  till  the  morning  cock 
crow  if  he  thought  proper. 

Such  a  pious  and  laborious  life  had  been  led,  not  more  than 
half  a  year  ago,  by  this  kind,  divine  person,  the  distributor  of 
protection,  life,  and  health,  who  watched  day  and  night  over 
the  earth  and  the  sky,  over  the  world  both  visible  and  invisible. 
But  for  the  last  half  year  his  eternally  living  soul  had  begun  to 
be  more  and  more  wearied  with  earthly  questions,  and  with  its 
bodily  envelope.  There  were  long  days  when  he  ate  nothing, 


458  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

and  nights  during  which  he  had  no  sleep  whatever.  Sometimes 
during  an  audience,  there  appeared  on  his  mild  face  an  expres 
sion  of  deep  pain,  while  oftener  and  oftener,  he  fainted. 

The  terrified  Queen  Nikotris,  the  most  worthy  Herhor  and 
the  priests,  asked  the  sovereign  repeatedly  whether  anything 
pained  him.  But  the  lord  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  was 
silent,  fulfilling  always  his  burdensome  duties. 

Then  the  court  physicians  began  imperceptibly  to  give  the 
most  powerful  remedies  to  restore  strength  to  him.  They 
mixed  in  his  wine  and  food  at  first  the  ashes  of  a  burnt  horse 
and  a  bull;  later  of  a  lion,  a  rhinoceros,  and  an  elephant;  but 
these  strong  remedies  seemed  to  have  no  effect  whatever.  His 
holiness  fainted  so  frequently  that  they  ceased  to  read  reports 
to  him. 

On  a  certain  day  the  worthy  Herhor  with  the  queen  and  the 
priests,  fell  on  their  faces ;  they  implored  the  lord  to  permit 
them  to  examine  his  divine  body.  He  consented.  The  physi 
cians  examined  and  struck  him,  but  found  no  worse  sign  than 
great  emaciation. 

"What  feelings  dost  thou  experience,  holiness?"  inquired 
at  last  the  wisest  physician. 

The  pharaoh  smiled. 

"  I  feel,"  replied  he,  "  that  it  is  time  for  me  to  return  to  my 
radiant  father." 

"  Thou  canst  not  do  that,  holiness,  without  the  greatest 
harm  to  thy  people,"  said  Herhor,  hurriedly. 

"I  leave  you  my  son,  Rameses,  who  is  a  lion  and  an  eagle 
in  one  person.  And  in  truth,  if  ye  will  obey  him,  he  will  pre 
pare  for  Egypt  such  a  fate  as  the  world  has  not  heard  of  since 
the  beginning  of  ages." 

A  chill  passed  through  holy  Herhor  and  the  other  priests  at 
that  promise.  They  knew  that  the  heir  to  the  throne  was  a 
lion  and  an  eagle  in  one  person,  and  that  they  must  obey  him. 
But  they  would  have  preferred  to  have  for  long  years  that 
kindly  lord,  whose  heart,  filled  with  compassion,  was  like  the 
north  wind  which  brings  rain  to  the  fields  and  coolness  to  man 
kind.  Therefore  they  fell  down  all  of  them  as  one  man  to  the 
pavement,  groaning,  and  they  lay  prostrate  till  the  pharaoh 
consented  to  let  himself  be  treated. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  459 

Then  the  physicians  took  him  out  for  a  whole  day  to  the  gar 
dens,  among  frequent  pine-trees,  they  nourished  him  with 
chopped  meat ;  they  gave  him  strong  herbs  with  milk  and 
old  wine.  These  effective  means  strengthened  his  holiness  for 
something  like  a  week  yet ;  then  a  new  faintness  announced 
itself,  and  to  overcome  that  they  forced  their  lord  to  drink 
the  fresh  blood  of  calves  descended  from  Apis. 

But  neither  did  this  blood  help  for  a  long  time,  and  they 
found  it  needful  to  turn  for  advice  to  the  high  priest  of  the 
temple  of  the  wicked  god  Set. 

Amid  general  fear,  the  gloomy  priest  entered  the  bed 
chamber  of  his  holiness.  He  looked  at  the  sick  pharaoh  and 
prescribed  a  dreadful  remedy. 

"It  is  needful,"  said  he,  "to  give  the  pharaoh  blood  of 
innocent  children  to  drink  ;  each  day  a  full  goblet." 

The  priests  and  magnates  in  the  chamber  were  dumb  when 
they  heard  this  prescription.  Then  they  whispered  that  the 
children  of  earth-tillers  were  best  for  the  purpose,  since  the 
children  of  priests  and  great  lords  lost  their  innocence  even  in 
infancy. 

"  It  is  all  one  to  me  whose  children  they  are,"  said  the  cruel 
priest,  "  if  only  his  holiness  has  fresh  blood  given  him  daily." 

The  pharaoh,  lying  on  the  bed  with  closed  eyes,  heard  that 
gory  counsel,  and  the  whispers  of  the  frightened  courtiers.  And 
when  one  of  the  physicians  asked  Herhor  timidly  if  it  were  pos 
sible  to  take  measures  to  seek  proper  children,  Rameses  XII 
recovered.  He  fixed  his  wise  eyes  on  those  present,  — 

"  The  crocodile  will  not  devour  its  own  little  ones,"  said 
he,  "a  jackal  or  a  hyena  will  give  its  life  for  its  whelps,  and 
am  I  to  drink  the  blood  of  Egyptian  infants,  who  are  my  chil 
dren?  Indeed,  I  never  could  have  believed  that  anyone  would 
dare  to  prescribe  means  so  unworthy." 

The  priest  of  the  evil  god  fell  to  the  pavement,  and  explained 
that  in  Egypt  no  one  had  ever  drunk  the  blood  of  infants  but 
that  the  infernal  powers  returned  health  by  it.  Such  means  at 
least  were  used  in  Phoenicia  and  Assyria.'' 

"  Shame  on  thee !  "  replied  the  pharaoh,  "  for  mentioning  in 
the  palace  of  Egyptian  sovereigns  disgusting  subjects. 
Knowest  thou  not  that  Phoenicians  and  Assyrians  are  bar- 


460  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

barous?  But  among  us  the  most  unenlightened  earth-tiller 
would  not  believe  that  blood,  shed  without  cause,  could  be  of 
service  to  any  one." 

Thus  spoke  he  who  was  equal  to  immortals.  The  courtiers 
covered  their  faces,  spotted  now  with  shame,  and  the  high 
priest  of  Set  wrent  silently  out  of  the  chamber. 

Then  Ilerhor,  to  save  the  quenching  life  of  the  sovereign, 
had  recourse  to  the  last  means,  and  told  the  pharaoh  that  in  one 
of  the  Theban  temples,  Beroes,  the  Chaldean,  lived  in  secret. 
He  was  the  wisest  priest  of  Babylon  —  a  miracle-worker  with 
out  equal. 

"  For  thee,  holiness,"  said  Herhor,  "  that  sage  is  a  stranger, 
and  he  has  not  the  right  to  impart  such  important  advice  to 
the  lord  of  Egypt.  But,  O  Pharaoh,  permit  him  to  look  at 
thee.  I  am  sure  that  he  will  find  a  medicine  to  cure  thy  ill 
ness,  and  in  no  case  will  he  offend  thee  by  impious  expressions." 

The  pharaoh  yielded  this  time  also  to  persuasions  from  his 
faithful  servitors.  And  in  two  days  Beroes,  summoned  in 
some  mysterious  way,  was  sailing  down  toward  Memphis. 

The  wise  Chaldean,  even  without  examining  the  pharaoh 
minutely,  gave  this  counsel,  — 

"We  must  find  a  person  in  Egypt  whose  prayers  reach  the 
throne  of  the  Highest.  And  if  this  person  prays  sincerely  for 
the  pharaoh,  the  sovereign  will  receive  his  health  and  live 
for  long  years  in  strength  again." 

On  hearing  these  words  the  pharaoh  looked  at  the  priests 
surrounding  him,  and  said,  — 

"I  see  here  holy  men  in  such  numbers  that,  if  one  of  them 
thinks  of  me,  I  shall  be  in  health  again."  And  he  smiled 
imperceptibly. 

"We  are  all  only  men,"  interrupted  Beroes;  "hence  our 
souls  cannot  always  rise  to  the  footstool  of  Him  who  existed 
before  the  ages.  But,  holiness,  I  will  use  an  infallible 
method  by  which  to  find  a  man  whose  prayers  have  the  utmost 
sincerity,  and  the  highest  effect." 

"Discover  him,  so  that  he  may  be  a  friend  to  me  in  my  last 
hour  of  life,"  said  the  pharaoh. 

After  this  favorable  answer  the  Chaldean  desired  a  room 
with  a  single  door,  and  unoccupied.  And  that  same  day,  one 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  461 

hour  before  sunset,  he  asked  that  his  holiness  be  borne  into 
that  chamber. 

At  the  appointed  hour  four  of  the  highest  priests  dressed 
the  pharaoh  in  a  robe  of  new  linen,  pronounced  a  great  prayer 
above  him,  — this  prayer  expelled  every  evil  power  absolutely, 
—  and  seating  him  in  a  litter  they  bore  him  to  that  simple 
chamber  where  there  was  but  one  small  table. 

Beroes  was  there  already,  and,  looking  toward  the  east,  was 
praying. 

When  the  priests  had  left  the  chamber  the  Chaldean  closed 
the  heavy  door,  put  a  purple  scarf  on  his  arm  and  placed  a 
glass  globe  of  black  color  on  the  table  before  the  pharaoh. 
In  his  left  hand  he  held  a  sharp  dagger  of  Babylonian  steel, 
in  his  right  a  staff  covered  with  mysterious  signs,  and  with 
that  staff  he  described  in  the  air  a  circle  about  himself  and  the 
pharaoh.  Then  facing  in  turn  the  four  quarters  of  the  world, 
he  whispered,  — 

"Amorul,  Taneha,  Latisten,  Rabur,  Adonay  have  pity  on 
me  and  purify  me,  O  heavenly  Father,  the  compassionate  and 
gracious.  Pour  down  on  thy  unworthy  servant  thy  sacred 
blessing,  and  extend  thy  almighty  arm  against  stubborn  and 
rebellious  spirits,  so  that  I  may  consider  thy  sacred  work 
calmly." 

He  stopped  and  turned  to  the  pharaoh,  — 

"Mer-Amen-Rameses,  high  priest  of  Amon,  dost  thou  dis 
tinguish  a  spark  in  that  black  globe?" 

"I  see  a  white  spark  which  seems  to  move  like  a  bee  above 
a  flower." 

"Mer-Amen-Rameses,  look  at  that  spark  and  take  not  thy 
eyes  from  it.  Look  neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left,  look  not 
on  anything  whatever  which  may  come  from  the  sides." 

And  again  he  whispered,  - 

"Baralanensis,  Baldachiensis,  by  the  mighty  princes  Genio, 
Lachidae,  the  ministers  of  the  infernal  kingdom,  I  summon 
you,  I  call  you  through  the  strength  of  Supreme  Majesty,  by 
which  I  am  gifted,  I  adjure,  I  command!  " 

At  that  place  the  pharaoh  started  up  with  aversion. 

"Mer-Amen-Rameses,  what  seest  thou?"  asked  the  Chaldean. 

"From  beyond  the  globe  rises  some  horrid   head  —  reddish 


462  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST       -i 

hair  is  standing  on  end;  a  face  of  greenish  hue;  the  eye  look 
ing  down  so  that  only  the  white  of  it  is  visible;  the  mouth 
open  widely,  as  if  to  shriek." 

"That  is  Terror!"  cried  Beroes,  and  he  held  his  sharp 
dagger  point  above  the  globe. 

Suddenly  the  pharaoh  bent  to  the  earth. 

"Enough!  "  cried  he,  "why  torment  me  thus?  The  wearied 
body  seeks  rest,  the  soul  longs  to  be  in  the  region  of  endless 
light.  But  not  only  will  ye  not  let  me  die;  ye  are  inventing 
new  torments.  Oh,  I  wish  not  —  " 

"  What  dost  thou  see?" 

"From  the  ceiling  every  instant  two  spider  legs  lower  them 
selves  —  they  are  terrible.  As  thick  as  palm  trunks ;  shaggy 
with  hooks  at  the  ends  of  them.  I  feel  that  above  my  head  is 
a  spider  of  immense  size,  and  he  is  binding  me  with  a  web  of 
ship  ropes." 

Beroes  turned  his  dagger  point  upward. 

"Mer-Amen-Rameses,"  said  he  again,  "look  ever  at  the 
spark,  and  never  at  the  sides.  Here  is  a  sign  which  I  raise  in 
thy  presence,"  whispered  he.  "Here  am  I  mightily  armed 
with  Divine  aid,  I,  foreseeing  and  unterrified,  who  summon  you 
with  exorcisms  —  Aye,  Saraye,  Aye,  Saraye,  Aye,  Saraye  —  in 
the  name  of  the  all-powerful,  the  all-mighty  and  everlasting 
divinity." 

At  that  moment  a  calm  smile  appeared  on  the  lips  of  the 
pharaoh. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  he,  "that  I  behold  Egypt  —  all  Egypt. 
Yes!  that  is  the  Nile  —  the  desert.  Here  is  Memphis,  there 
Thebes." 

Indeed  he  saw  Egypt,  all  Egypt,  but  no  larger  than  the  path 
which  extended  through  the  garden  of  his  palace.  The  won 
derful  picture  had  this  trait,  that  when  the  Pharaoh  turned 
more  deliberate  attention  to  any  point  of  it,  that  point  with  its 
environments  grew  to  be  of  real  size  almost. 

The  sun  was  going  down,  covering  the  earth  with  golden  and 
purple  light.  Birds  of  the  daytime  were  settling  to  sleep, 
the  night  birds  were  waking  up  in  their  concealments.  In 
the  desert  hyenas  and  jackals  were  yawning,  and  the  slumber 
ing  lion  had  begun  to  stretch  his  strong  body  and  prepare  to 
hunt  victims. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  463 

The  Nile  fisherman  drew  forth  his  nets  hastily,  men  were 
tying  up  at  the  shores  the  great  transport  barges.  The  wearied 
earth-worker  removed  from  the  sweep  his  bucket  with  which  he 
had  drawn  water  since  sunrise ;  another  returned  slowly  with 
the  plough  to  his  mud  hovel.  In  cities  they  were  lighting  lamps, 
in  the  temples  priests  were  assembling  for  evening  devotions. 
On  the  highways  the  dust  was  settling  down  and  the  squeak  of 
carts  was  growing  silent.  From  the  pylon  summits  shrill 
voices  were  heard  calling  people  to  prayer. 

A  moment  later,  the  pharaoh  saw  with  astonishment  flocks  of 
silvery  birds  over  the  earth  everywhere.  They  were  flying  up 
out  of  palaces,  temples  streets,  workshops,  Nile  barges,  coun 
try  huts,  even  from  the  quarries.  At  first  each  of  them  shot 
upward  like  an  arrow,  but  soon  it  met  in  the  sky  another  sil 
very  feathered  bird,  which  stopped  its  way,  striking  it  with  all 
force  and  —  both  fell  to  the  earth  lifeless. 

Those  were  the  unworthy  prayers  of  men,  which  prevented 
each  other  from  reaching  the  throne  of  Him  who  existed  before 
the  ages. 

The  pharaoh  strained  his  hearing.  At  first  only  the  rustle  of 
wings  reached  him,  but  soon  he  distinguished  words  also. 

And  now  he  heard  a  sick  man  praying  for  the  return  of  his 
health,  and  also  the  physician,  who  begged  that  that  same 
patient  might  be  sick  as  long  as  possible.  The  landowner 
prayed  Amon  to  watch  over  his  granary  and  cow-house,  the 
thief  stretched  his  hands  heavenward  so  that  he  might  lead 
forth  another  man's  cow  without  hindrance,  and  fill  his  own 
bags  from  another  man's  harvest. 

Their  prayers  knocked  each  other  down  like  stones  which 
had  been  hurled  from  slings  and  had  met  in  the  air. 

The  wanderer  in  the  desert  fell  on  the  sand  and  begged  for  a 
north  wind,  to  bring  a  drop  of  rain  to  him,  the  sailor  on  the 
sea  beat  the  deck  with  his  forehead  and  prayed  that  wind  might 
blow  from  the  east  a  week  longer.  The  earth-worker  wished 
that  swamps  might  dry  up  quickly  after  inundation  ;  the  needy 
fisherman  begged  that  the  swamps  might  not  dry  up  at  any 
time. 

Their  prayers  killed  each  other  and  never  reached  the  divine 
ears  of  Amon. 


464  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  greatest  uproar  reigned  above  the  quarries  where  crim 
inals,  lashed  together  in  chain  gangs,  split  enormous  rocks 
with  wedges,  wetted  with  water.  There  a  party  of  day  convicts 
prayed  for  the  night,  so  that  they  might  lie  down  to  slumber ; 
while  parties  of  night  toilers,  roused  by  their  overseers,  beat 
their  breasts,  asking  that  the  sun  might  not  set  at  any  hour. 
Merchants  who  purchased  quarried  and  dressed  stones  prayed 
that  there  might  be  as  many  criminals  in  the  quarries  as  pos 
sible,  while  provision  contractors  lay  on  their  stomachs,  sighing 
for  the  plague  to  kill  laborers,  and  make  their  own  profits  as 
large  as  they  might  be. 

So  the  prayers  of  men  from  the  quarries  did  not  reach  the 
sky  in  any  case. 

On  the  western  boundary  the  pharaoh  saw  two  armies  pre 
paring  for  battle.  Both  were  prostrate  on  the  sand,  calling  on 
Amon  to  rub  out  the  other  side.  The  Libyans  wished  shame 
and  death  to  Egyptians ;  the  Egyptians  hurled  curses  on  the 
Libyans. 

The  prayers  of  these  and  of  those,  like  two  flocks  of  falcons, 
fought  above  the  earth  and  fell  dead  in  the  desert.  Amon  did 
not  even  see  them. 

And  whithersoever  the  pharaoh  turned  his  wearied  glance  he 
saw  the  same  picture  everywhere.  The  laborers  were  praying 
for  rest  and  decrease  of  taxes,  scribes  were  praying  that  taxes 
might  increase  and  work  never  be  finished.  The  priests  im 
plored  Amon  for  long  life  to  Rameses  XII.  and  death  to  Phoe 
nicians,  who  interfered  with  their  interests ;  the  nomarchs  im 
plored  the  gods  to  preserve  the  Phoenicians  and  let  Rameses 
XIII.  ascend  the  throne  at  the  earliest,  for  he  would  curb 
priestly  tyranny.  Lions,  jackals,  and  hyenas  were  panting  with 
hunger  and  desire  for  fresh  blood ;  deer  and  rabbits  slipped  out 
of  hiding-places,  thinking  to  preserve  wretched  life  a  day  longer, 
though  experience  declared  that  numbers  of  them  must  perish, 
even  on  that  night,  so  that  beasts  of  prey  might  not  famish. 
So  throughout  the  whole  world  reigned  crosa-purposes  every 
where.  Each  wished  that  which  filled  others  with  terror ;  each 
begged  for  his  own  good,  without  asking  if  he  did  harm  to  the 
next  man. 

For  this  cause   their  prayers,  though  like  silvery  birds  flying 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  .465 

heavenward,  did  not  reach  their  destination.  And  the  divine 
Amon,  to  whom  no  voice  of  the  earth  came  at  any  time,  dropped 
his  hands  on  his  knees,  and  sank  ever  deeper  in  meditation 
over  his  own  divinity,  while  on  the  earth  blind  force  and  chance 
ruled  without  interruption. 

All  at  once  the  pharaoh  heard  the  voice  of  a  woman,  — 
"Rogue!  Little  rogue!  come  in,  thou  unruly,  it  is  time  for 
prayers." 

4 '  This  minute  —  this  minute  !  "  answered  the  voice  of  the 
little  child. 

The  sovereign  looked  toward  the  point  whence  the  voice 
came  and  saw  the  poor  hut  of  a  cattle  scribe.  The  hut  owner 
had  finished  his  register  in  the  light  of  the  setting  sun,  his  wife 
was  grinding  flour  fora  cake,  and  before  the  hause,  like  a  young 
kid,  was  running  and  jumping  the  six-year-old  little  boy,  laugh 
ing,  it  was  unknown  for  what  reason. 

The  evening  air  full  of  sweetness  had  given  him  delight,  that 
was  evident. 

"Rogue!  —  Little  rogue!  come  here  to  me  for  a  prayer," 
repeated  the  woman. 

"  This  minute  !  this  minute  !  " 

And  again  he  ran  with  delight  as  if  wild. 

At  last  the  mother,  seeing  that  the  sun  was  beginning  to  sink 
in  the  sands  of  the  desert,  put-away  her  mill  stones,  and,  going 
out,  seized  the  boy,  who  raced  around  like  a  little  colt.  He 
resisted  but  gave  way  to  superior  force  finally.  The  mother, 
drawing  him  to  the  hut  as  quickly  as  possible,  held  him  with 
her  hand  so  that  he  might  not  escape  from  her. 

"  Do  not  twist,"  said  she,  "  put  thy  feet  under  thee,  sit  up 
right,  put  thy  hands  together  and  raise  them  upward. — Ah, 
thou  bad  boy  !  " 

The  boy  knew  that  he  could  not  escape  now;  so  to  be 
free  again  as  soon  as  possible  he  raised  his  eyes  and  hands 
heavenward  piously,  and  with  a  thin  squeaky  voice,  he 
said,  — 

"O  kind,  divine  Amon,  I  thank  thee,  thou  hast  kept  my 
papa  to-day  from  misfortune,  thou  hast  given  wheat  for  cakes 
\o  my  mamma.  What  more?  Thou  hast  made  heaven. 
I\  thank  thee.  And  the  earth,  and  sent  down  the  Nile  which 

30 


466  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

brings  bread  to  us.  And  what  more?  Aha,  I  know  now! 
And  I  thank  thee  because  out-of-doors  it  is  so  beautiful, 
and  flowers  are  growing  there,  and  birds  singing  and  the  palms 
give  us  sweet  dates.  For  these  good  things  which  thou  hast 
given  us,  may  all  love  thee  as  I  do,  and  praise  thee  better  than 
I  can,  for  I  am  a  little  boy  yet  and  I  have  not  learned  wisdom. 
x/  Well,  is  that  enough,  mamma?  " 

"  Bad  boy ! "  muttered  the  cattle  scribe,  bending  over  his 
register.  "Bad  boy!  thou  art  giving  honor  to  Amon  care 
lessly." 

But  the  pharaoh  in  that  magic  globe  saw  now  something 
altogether  different.  Behold  the  prayer  of  the  delighted  little 
boy  rose,  like  a  lark,  toward  the  sky,  and  with  fluttering  wings 
it  went  higher  and  higher  till  it  reached  the  throne  where  the 
eternal  Amon  with  his  hands  on  his  knees  was  sunk  in  medita 
tion  on  his  own  all-mightiness. 

Then  it  went  still  higher,  as  high  as  the  head  of  the  divinity, 
and  sang  with  the  thin,  childish  little  voice  to  him : 

"And  for  those  good  things  which  thou  hast  given  us  may 
all  love  thee  as  I  do." 

At  these  words  the  divinity,  sunk  in  himself,  opened  his  eyes 

—  there  came  to  the  earth  immense  calm.     Every  pain  ceased, 

every  fear,  every  wrong  stopped.     The  whistling  missile  hung 

in  the  air,  the  lion  stopped  in  his  spring  on  the  deer,  the  stick 

uplifted  did  not  fall  on  the  back  of  the  captive.     The  sick  man 

forgot  his  pains,  the  wanderer  in  the  desert  his  hunger,  the 

prisoner  his  chains.     The  storm  ceased,  and  the  wave  of  the 

sea,  though  ready  to  drown  the  ship,  halted.     And  on  the  whole 

earth  such  rest  settled  down   that  the  sun,  just  hiding  on  the 

/  horizon,  thrust  up  his  shining  head  again. 

The  pharaoh  recovered.  He  saw  before  him  a  little  table, 
on  the  table  a  black  globe,  at  the  side  of  it  Beroes  the 
Chaldean. 

"  Mer-Ainen-Rameses,"  asked  the  priest,  "hast  thou  found 
a  person  whose  'prayers  reach  the  footstool  of  Him  who 
existed  before  the  ages  ?  " 

"I  have." 

"  Is  he  a  prince,  a  noble,  a  prophet,  or  perhaps  an  ordinary 
hermit?  " 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  467 

u  He  is  a  little  boy,  six  years  old,  who  asked  Amon  for 
nothing,  he  only  thanked  him  for  everything." 

"But  dost  thou  know  where  he  dwells?"  inquired  the 
Chaldean. 

"  I  know,  but  I  will  not  steal  for  my  own  use  the  virtue  of 
his  prayer.  The  world,  Beroes,  is  a  gigantic  vortex,  in  which 
people  are  whirled  around  like  sand,  and  they  are  whirled  by 
misfortune.  That  child  with  his  prayer  gives  people  what  I 
cannot  give :  a  brief  space  of  peace  and  oblivion.  Dost 
understand,  O  Chaldean?" 

Beroes  was  silent. 


CHAPTER   XLIX 

AT  sunrise  of  the  twenty-first  of  Hator  there  came  from 
Memphis  to  the  camp  at  the  Soda  Lakes  an  order  by 
which  three  regiments  were  to  march  to  Libya  to  stand  garrison 
in  the  towns,  the  rest  of  the  Egyptian  army  was  to  return 
home  with  Rameses. 

The  army  greeted  this  arrangement  with  shouts  of  delight, 
for  a  stay  of  some  days  in  the  wilderness  had  begun  to  annoy 
them.  In  spite  of  supplies  from  Egypt  and  from  conquered 
Libya,  there  was  not  an  excess  of  provisions ;  water  in  the 
wells  dug  out  quickly,  was  exhausted ;  the  heat  of  the  sun 
burned  their  bodies,  and  the  ruddy  sand  wounded  their  lungs 
and  their  eyeballs-  The  warriors  were  falling  ill  of  dysentery 
and  a  malignant  inflammation  of  the  eyelids. 

Rameses  commanded  to  raise  the  camp.  He  sent  three 
native  Egyptian  regiments  to  Libya,  commanding  the  soldiers 
to  treat  people  mildly  and  never  wander  from  the  camp  singly. 
The  army  proper  he  turned  toward  Memphis,  leaving  a  small 
garrison  at  the  glass  huts  and  in  the  fortress. 

About  nine  in  the  morning,  in  spite  of  the  heat,  both  armies 
were  on  the  road;  one  going  northward,  the  other  toward  the 
south. 

The  holy  Mentezufis  approached  the  heir  then,  and  said,  - 

"  It  would  be  well,  worthiness,  couklst  thou  reach  Memphis 
earlier.  There  will  be  fresh  horses  half-way." 


468  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Then  my  father  is  very  ill?"  cried  out  Rameses. 

The  priest  bent  his  head. 

The  prince  gave  command  to  Mentezufis,  begging  him  to 
change  in  no  way  commands  already  made,  unless  he  counselled 
with  lay  generals.  Taking  Pentuer,  Tutmosis,  and  twenty 
of  the  best  Asiatic  horsemen,  he  went  himself  on  a  sharp  trot 
toward  Memphis. 

In  five  hours  they  passed  half  the  journey ;  at  the  halt,  as 
Mentezufis  had  declared,  were  fresh  horses  and  a  new  escort. 
The  Asiatics  remained  at  that  point,  and  after  a  short  rest  the 
prince  with  his  two  companions  and  a  new  escort  went  farther. 

"  Woe  to  me  !  "  said  Tutmosis.  "It  is  not  enough  that  for 
five  days  I  have  not  bathed  and  know  not  rose  perfumed  oil, 
but  besides  I  must  make  in  one  day  two  forced  marches.  I  am 
sure  that  when  we  reach  Memphis  no  dancer  will  look  at  me." 

"  What!     Art  thou  better  than  we?  "  asked  the  prince. 

"I  am  more  fragile,"  said  the  exquisite.  "Thou,  prince, 
art  as  accustomed  to  riding  as  a  Ilyksos,  and  Pentuer  might 
travel  on  a  red-hot  sword.  But  I  am  so  delicate." 

At  sunset  the  travellers  came  out  on  a  lofty  hill,  whence 
they  saw  an  uncommon  picture  unfolded  before  them.  For  a 
long  distance  the  green  valley  of  Egypt  was  visible,  on  the 
background  of  it,  like  a  row  of  ruddy  fires,  the  triangular 
pyramids  stood  gleaming.  A  little  to  the  right  of  the  pyramids 
the  tops  of  the  Memphis  pylons,  wrapped  in  a  bluish  haze, 
seemed  to  be  flaming  upward. 

"  Let  us  go;  let  us  go! "  said  Rameses. 

A  moment  later  the  reddish  desert  surrounded  them  again, 
and  again  the  line  of  pyramids  gleamed  until  all  was  dissolved 
in  the  twilight. 

When  night  fell  the  travellers  had  reached  that  immense 
district  of  the  dead,  which  extends  for  a  number  of  tens  of 
miles  on  the  heights  along  the  left  side  of  the  river. 

Here  during  the  Ancient  Kingdom  were  buried,  for  endless 
ages,  Egyptians,  —  the  pharaohs  in  immense  pyramids,  princes 
and  dignitaries  in  smaller  pyramids,  common  men  in  mud 
structures.  Here  were  resting  millions  of  mummies,  not  only 
of  people,  but  of  dogs,  cats,  birds, — in  a  word,  all  creatures 
which,  while  they  lived,  were  dear  to  Egyptians. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  469 

During  the  time  of  Rameses,  the  burial-ground  of  kings  and 
great  persons  was  transferred  to  Thebes ;  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Memphis  were  buried  only  common  persons  and  artisans 
from  regions  about  there. 

Among  scattered  graves,  the  prince  and  his  escort  met  a 
number  of  people,  pushing  about  like  shadows. 

"  Who  are  ye?  "  asked  the  leader  of  the  escort. 

"We  are  poor  servants  of  the  pharaoh  returning  from  our 
dead.  We  took  to  them  roses,  cakes,  and  beer." 

"  But  maybe  ye  looked  into  strange  graves?" 

"  Ogods !  "  cried  one  of  the  party,  "  could  we  commit  such 
a  sacrilege?  It  is  only  the  wicked  Thebans  —  may  their  hands 
wither !  —  who  disturb  the  dead,  so  as  to  drink  away  their 
property  in  dramshops," 

"  What  mean  those  fires  at  the  north  there?  "  interrupted  the 
prince. 

"  It  must  be,  worthiness,  that  thou  comest  from  afar  if  thou 
know  not,"  answered  they.  "  To-morrow  our  heir  is  returning 
with  a  victorious  army.  He  is  a  great  chief!  He  conquered 
the  Libyans  in  one  battle.  Those  are  the  people  of  Memphis 
who  have  gone  out  to  greet  him  with  solemnity.  Thirty  thou 
sand  persons.  When  they  shout  —  " 

"  I  understand,"  whispered  the  prince  to  Pentuer.  "Holy 
Mentezufis  has  sent  me  ahead  so  that  I  may  not  have  a  tri 
umphal  entry.  But  never  mind  this  time." 

The  horses  were  tired,  and  they  had  to  rest.  So  the  prince 
sent  horsemen  to  engage  barges  on  the  river,  and  the  rest  of 
the  escort  halted  under  some  palms,  which  at  that  time  grew 
between  the  Sphinx  and  the  group  of  pyramids. 

Those  pyramids  formed  the  northern  limit  of  the  immense 
cemetery.  On  the  flat,  about  a  square  kilometre  in  area,  over 
grown  at  that  time  with  plants  of  the  desert,  were  tombs  and 
small  pyramids,  above  which  towered  the  three  great  pyramids : 
those  of  Cheops,  Chafre,  and  Menkere,  and  the  Sphinx.  These 
immense  structures  stand  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from  one 
another.  The  three  pyramids  are  in  a  line  from  northeast  to 
southwest.  East  of  this  line  and  nearer  the  Nile  is  the 
Sphinx,  near  whose  feet  was  the  underground  temple  of  Horus. 

The  pyramids,,  but  especially  that  of   Cheops,   as  a  work  of 


470  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

human  labor,  astound  by  their  greatness.  This  pyramid  is  a 
pointed  stone  mountain ;  its  original  height  was  thirty -five 
stories,  or  four  hundred  and  eighty-one  feet,  standing  on  a 
square  foundation  each  side  of  which  was  seven  hundred  and 
fifty-five  feet.  It  occupied  a  little  more  than  thirteen  acres  of 
area,  and  its  four  triangular  walls  would  cover  twenty  acres  of 
land.  In  building  it,  such  vast  numbers  of  stones  were  used 
that  it  would  be  possible  to  build  a  wall  of  the  height  of  a  man, 
a  wall  half  a  metre  thick,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  kilo 
metres  long. 

When  the  attendants  of  the  prince  had  disposed  themselves 
under  the  wretched  trees,  some  occupied  themselves  in  finding 
water;  others  took  out  cakes,  while  Tutmosis  dropped  to  the 
ground  and  fell  asleep  directly.  But  the  prince  and  Pentuer 
walked  up  and  down  conversing. 

The  night  was  clear  enough  to  let  them  see  on  one  side  the 
immense  outline  of  the  pyramids,  on  the  other,  the  Sphinx, 
which  seemed  small  in  comparison. 

"lam  here  for  the  fourth  time,"  said  the  heir,  "  and  my 
heart  is  always  filled  with  regret  and  astonishment.  When  a 
pupil  in  the  higher  school,  I  thought  that,  on  ascending  the 
throne,  I  would  build  something  of  more  worth  than  the  pyra 
mid  of  Cheops.  But  to-day  I  am  ready  to  laugh  at  my 
insolence  when  I  think  that  the  great  pharaoh  in  building  his 
tomb  paid  sixteen  hundred  talents  (about  ten  million  francs) 
for  the  vegetables  alone  which  were  used  by  the  laborers. 
Where  should  I  find  sixteen  hundred  talents  even  for  wages?  " 

"Envy  not  Cheops,  lord,"  replied  the  priest.  "Other 
pharaohs  have  left  better  works  behind :  lakes,  canals,  roads, 
schools,  and  temples." 

"  But  may  we  compare  those  things  with  the  pyramids?  " 

"Of  course  not,"  answered  Pentuer,  hurriedly.  "In  my 
eyes  and  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  people,  each  pyramid  is  a  great 
crime,  and  that  of  Cheops,  the  greatest  of  all  crimes." 

"  Thou  art  too  much  excited,"  said  the  prince. 

"  I  am  not.  The  pharaoh  was  building  his  immense  tomb 
for  thirty  years ;  in  the  course  of  those  years  one  hundred  thou 
sand  people  worked  three  months  annually.  And  what  good 
was  there  in  that  work  ?  Whom  did  it  feed,  whom  did  it  cure, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  471 

to  whom  did  it  give  clothing?  At  that  work  from  ten  to 
twenty  thousand  people  perished  yearly ;  that  is,  for  the  tomb 
of  Cheops  a  half  a  million  corpses  were  put  into  the  earth. 
But  the  blood,  the  pain,  the  tears,  —  who  will  reckon  them? 

"  Therefore,  wonder  not,  lord,  that  the  Egyptian  toiler  to 
this  day  looks  with  fear  toward  the  west,  when  above  the  hori 
zon  the  triangular  forms  of  the  pyramids  seem  bloody  or 
crimson.  They  are  witnesses  of  his  sufferings  and  fruitless 
labor. 

"And  to  think  that  this  wall  continue  till  those  proofs  of 
human  pride  are  scattered  into  dust !  But  when  will  that  be  ? 
For  three  thousand  years  those  pyramids  frighten  men  with 
their  presence ;  their  walls  are  smooth  yet,  -and  the  immense 
inscriptions  on  them  are  legible." 

"  That  night  in  the  desert  thy  speech. was  different,"  inter 
rupted  the  prince. 

"  For  I  was  not  looking  at  these.  But  when  they  are  before 
my  eyes,  as  at  present,  I  am  surrounded  by  the^  sobbing  spirits 
of  tortured  toilers,  and  they  whisper,  '  See  what  they  did  with 
us !  But  our  bones  felt  pain,  and  our  hearts  longed  for  rest 
from  labor.'  " 

Raraeses  was  touched  disagreeably  by  this  outburst. 

"His  holiness,  my  father,"  said  he,  after  a  while,  "pre 
sented  these  things  to  me  differently ;  when  we  were  here  five 
years  ago.  the  sacred  lord  told  me  the  following  narrative: 

"During  the  reign  of  the  pharaoh  Tutmosis  I.,  Ethiopian 
ambassadors  came  to  negotiate  touching  the  tribute  to  be  paid 
by  them.  They  were  all  arrogant  people.  They  said  that  the 
loss  of  one  war  was  nothing,  that  fate  might  favor  them  in  a 
second;  and  for  a  couple  of  months  they  disputed  about 
tribute. 

4 'In  vain  did  the  wise  pharaoh,  in  his  wish  to  enlighten  the 
men  mildly,  show  our  roads  and  canals  to  them.  They  replied 
that  in  their  country  they  had  water  for  nothing  wherever  they 
wanted  it.  In  vain  he  showed  them  the  treasures  of  the 
temples  ;  they  said  that  their  country  concealed  more  gold  and 
jewels  by  far  than  were  possessed  by  all  Egypt.  In  vain  did 
the  lord  review  his  armies  before  them,  for  they  asserted  that 
Ethiopia  had  incomparably  more  warriors  than  his  holiness. 


472  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  pharaoh  brought  those  people  at  last  to  these  places  where 
we  are  standing  and  showed  them  those  structures. 

"The  Ethiopian  ambassadors  went  around  the  pyramids, 
read  the  inscriptions,  and  next  day  they  concluded  the  treaty 
required  of  them. 

"  Since  I  did  not  understand  the  heart  of  the  matter,"  con 
tinued  Rameses,  "  my  holy  father  explained  it. 

"  '  My  son,'  said  he,  *  these  pyramids  are  an  eternal 
proof  of  superhuman  power  in  Egypt.  If  any  man  wished 
to  raise  to  himself  a  pyramid  he  would  pile  up  a  small  heap  of 
stones  and  abandon  his  labor  after  some  hours  had  passed, 
asking:  "  What  good  is  this  to  me?"  Ten,  one  hundred,  one 
thousand  men  would  pile  up  a  few  more  stones.  They  would 
throw  them  down  without  order,  and  leave  the  work  after  a 
few  days,  for  what  good  would  it  be  to  them? 

"  *  But  when  a  pharaoh  of  Egypt  decides,  when  the  Egyptian 
state  has  decided  to  rear  a  pile  of  stones,  thousands  of  legions 
of  men  are  sent  out,  and  for  a  number  of  tens  of  years  they  build, 
till  the  work  is  completed.  For  the  question  is  not  this :  Are 
the  pyramids  needed,  but  this  is  the  will  of  the  pharaoh  to 
be  accomplished,  once  it  is  uttered.'  So,  Pentuer,  this  pyramid 
is  not  the  tomb  of  Cheops,  but  the  will  of  Cheops,  —  a  will 
which  had  more  men  to  carry  it  out  than  had  any  king  on 
earth,  and  which  was  as  orderly  and  enduring  in  action  as 
the  gods  are. 

4 '  While  I  was  yet  at  school  they  taught  me  that  the  will  of 
the  people  was  a  great  power,  the  greatest  power  under  the 
sun.  And  still  the  will  of  the  people  can  raise  one  stone  barely. 
How  great,  then,  must  be  the  will  of  the  pharaoh  who  has  raised 
a  mountain  of  stones  only  because  it  pleased  him,  only  because 
he  wished  thus,  even  were  it  without  an  object." 

"  Wouldst  thou,  lord,  wish  to  show  thy  power  in  such 
fashion?"  inquired  Pentuer,  suddenly. 

"  No,"  answered  the  prince,  without  hesitation.  "  When  the 
pharaohs  have  once  shown  their  power,  they  may  be  merciful ; 
unless  some  one  should  resist  their  orders." 

"And  still  this  young  man  is  only  twenty-three  years  of 
age !  "  thought  the  frightened  priest. 

They  turned  toward  the  river  and  walked  some  time  in  silence. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  473 


. . 


Lie  down,  lord,"  said  the  priest,  after  a  while;  "  sleep. 
We  have  made  no  small  journey." 

"  But  can  I  sleep?"  answered  the  prince.  "First  I  am 
surrounded  by  those  legions  of  laborers  who,  according  to 
thy  view,  perished  in  building  the  pyramids  —  Just  as  if  they 
could  have  lived  forever  had  they  not  raised  those  structures  ! 
Then,  again,  I  think  of  his  holiness,  my  father,  who  is  dying, 
perhaps,  at  this  very  moment.  Common  men  suffer,  common 
men  spill  their  blood !  Who  will  prove  to  me  that  my  divine 
father  is  not  tortured  more  on  his  costly  bed  than  thy  toilers 
who  are  carrying  heated  stones  to  a  building? 

"Laborers,  always  laborers!  For  thee,  O  priest,  only  he 
deserves  compassion  who  bites  lice.  A  whole  series  of 
pharaohs  have  gone  into  their  graves ;  some  died  in  torments, 
some  were  killed.  But  thou  thinkest  not  of  them  ;  thou  thinkest 
only  of  those  whose  service  is  that  they  begot  other  toilers 
who  dipped  up  muddy  water  from  the  Nile,  or  thrust  barley 
balls  into  the  mouths  of  their  milch  cows. 

' '  But  my  father  —  and  I  ?  Was  not  my  son  slain,  and  also 
a  woman  of  my  household?  Was  Typhon  compassionate  to 
me  in  the  desert?  Do  not  my  bones  ache  after  a  long  journey? 
Do  not  missiles  from  Libyan  slings  whistle  over  my  head? 
Have  I  a  treaty  with  sickness,  with  pain,  or  with  death,  that 
they  should  be  kinder  to  me  than  to  thy  toilers? 

"  Look  there  :  the  Asiatics  are  sleeping,  and  quiet  has  taken 
possession  of  their  breasts  ;  but  I,  their  lord,  have  a  heart  full 
of  yesterday's  cares,  and  of  fears  for  the  morrow.  Ask  a 
toiling  man  of  a  hundred  years  whether  in  all  his  life  he  had  as 
much  sorrow  as  I  have  had  during  my  power  of  a  few  months 
as  commander  and  viceroy." 

Before  them  rose  slowly  from  the  depth  of  the  night  a 
wonderful  shade.  It  was  an  object  fifty  yards  long  and  as 
high  as  a  house  of  three  stories,  having  at  its  side,  as  it  were, 
a  five-storied  tower  of  uncommon  structure. 

"Here  is  the  Sphinx,"  said  the  irritated  prince,  "purely 
priests'  work!  Whenever  I  see  this,  in  the  day  or  the  night 
time,  the  question  always  tortures  me :  What  is  this,  and  what 
is  the  use  of  it?  The  pyramids  I  understand:  A  mighty 
pharaoh  wished  to  show  his  power,  and,  perhaps,  which  was 


474  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

wiser,  wished  to  secure  eternal  life  which  no  thief  or  enemy 
might  take  from  him.  But  this  Sphinx !  Evidently  that  is 
our  sacred  priestly  order,  which  has  a  very  large,  wise  head 
and  lion's  claws  beneath  it. 

u  This  repulsive  statue,  full  of  double  meaning,  which  seems 
to  exult  because  we  appear  like  locusts  when  we  stand  near 
it,  —  it  is  neither  a  man  nor  a  beast  nor  a  rock  —  What  is 
it,  then?  What  is  its  meaning?  Or  that  smile  which  it  has  — 
If  thou  admire  the  everlasting  endurance  of  the  pyramids,  it 
smiles  ;  if  thou  go  past  to  converse  with  the  tombs,  it  smiles. 
Whether  the  fields  of  Egypt  are  green,  or  Typhon  lets  loose  his 
fiery  steeds,  or  the  slave  seeks  his  freedom  in  the  desert,  or 
Rameses  the  Great  drives  conquered  nations  before  him,  it  has 
for  all  one  and  the  same  changeless  smile.  Nineteen  dynasties 
have  passed  like  shadows ;  but  it  smiles  on  and  would  smile 
even  were  the  Nile  to  grow  dry,  and  were  Egypt  to  disappear 
under  sand  fields. 

' '  Is  not  that  monster  the  more  dreadful  that  it  has  a  mild 
human  visage?  Lasting  itself  throughout  ages,  it  has  never 
known  grief  over  life,  which  is  fleeting  and  filled  with  anguish." 

"  Dost  thou  not  remember,  lord,  the  faces  of  the  gods," 
interrupted  Pentuer,  "or  hast  thou  not  seen  mummies?  All 
immortals  look  on  transient  things  ,with  the  selfsame  indiffer 
ence.  Even  man  does  when  nearing  the  end  of  his  earth-life." 

"The  gods  hear  our  prayers  sometimes,  but  the  Sphinx 
never  moves.  No  compassion  on  that  face,  a  mere  gigantic 
jeering  terror.  If  I  knew  that  in  its  mouth  were  hidden  some 
prophecy  for  me,  or  some  means  to  elevate  Egypt,  I  should  not 
dare  to  put  a  question.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  should  hear 
some  awful  answer  uttered  with  unpitying  calmness.  This  is 
the  work  and  the  image  of  the  priesthood.  It  is  worse  than 
man,  for  it  has  a  lion's  body ;  it  is  worse  than  a  beast,  for  it 
has  a  human  head  ;  it  is  worse  than  stone,  for  inexplicable  life 
is  contained  in  it." 

At  that  moment  groaning  and  muffled  voices  reached  them, 
the  source  of  which  they  could  not  determine. 

"Is  the  Sphinx  singing?"  inquired  the  astonished  prince. 

"That  singing  is  in  the  underground  temple,"  replied  Pen- 
tuer.  "  But  why  are  they  praying  at  this  night  hour?" 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  ) 

OF 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  475 

4 'Ask  rather  why  they  pray  at  all,  since  no  one  hears  them." 

Pentuer  took  the  direction  at  once  and  went  toward  the 
place  of  the  singing.  The  prince  found  some  stone  for  a  sup 
port  and  sat  down  wearied.  He  put  his  hands  behind  him, 
leaned  back,  and  looked  into  the  immense  face  before  him. 

In  spite  of  the  lack  of  light,  the  superhuman  features  were 
clearly  visible ;  just  the  shade  added  life  and  character.  The 
more  the  prince  gazed  into  that  face,  the  more  powerfully 
he  felt  that  he  had  been  prejudiced,  that  his  dislike  was  un 
reasonable. 

On  the  face  of  the  Sphinx,  there  was  no  cruelty,  but  rather 
resignation.  In  its  smile  there  was  no  jeering,  but  rather  sad 
ness.  It  did  not  feel  the  wretchedness  and  fleeting  nature  of 
mankind,  for  it  did  not  see  them.  Its  eyes,  filled  with  expres 
sion,  were  fixed  somewhere  beyond  the  Nile,  beyond  the  hori 
zon,  toward  regions  concealed  from  human  sight  beneath  the 
vault  of  heaven.  Was  it  watching  the  disturbing  growth  of 
the  Assyrian  monarchy?  Or  the  impudent  activity  of  Phoe 
nicia?  Or  the  birth  of  Greece,  or  events,  perhaps,  which  were 
preparing  on  the  Jordan?  Who  could  answer? 

The  prince  was  sure  of  one  thing,  that  it  was  gazing,  think 
ing,  waiting  for  something  with  a  calm  smile  worthy  of  super 
natural  existence.  And,  moreover,  it  seemed  to  him  that  if 
that  something  appeared  on  the  horizon,  the  Sphinx  would  rise 
up  and  go  to  meet  it. 

WJiat  was  that  to  be,  and  when  would  it  come  ?  This  was  a 
mystery  the  significance  of  which  was  depicted  expressly  on 
the  face  of  that  creature  which  had  existed  for  ages.  But  it 
would  of  necessity  take  place  on  a  sudden,  since  the  Sphinx 
had  not  closed  its  eyes  for  one  instant  during  milleniums,  and 
was  gazing,  gazing,  always. 

Meanwhile  Pentuer  found  a  window  through  which  came  from 
the  underground  temple  pensive  hymns  of  the  priestly  chorus : 

Chorus  I.  "  Rise,  as  radiant  as  Isis,  rise  as  Sotis  rises  on  the 
firmament  in  the  morning  at  the  beginning  of  the  established 
year." 

Chorus  II.  "  The  god  Amon-Ra  was  on  my  right  and  on  my 
left.  He  himself  gave  into  my  hands  dominion  over  all  the 
world,  thus  causing  the  downfall  of  my  enemies." 


476  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Chorus  I.  "  Thou  wert  still  young,  thou.  wcrt  wearing  braided 
hair,  but  in  Egypt  naught  was  done  save  at  thy  command  —  no 
corner-stone  was  laid  for  an  edifice  unless  thou  wert  present." 

Chorus  II.  "I  came  to  Thee,  ruler  of  the  gods,  great  god, 
lord  of  the  sun.  Turn  promises  that  the  sun  will  appear,  and 
that  I  shall  be  like  him,  and  the  Nile ;  that  I  shall  reach  the 
throne  of  Osiris,  and  shall  possess  it  forever." 

Chorus  I.  "Thou  hast  returned  in  peace,  respected  by  the 
gods,  O  ruler  of  both  worlds,  Ra-Mer-Amen-Rameses.  I  assure 
to  thee  unbroken  rule;  kings  will  come  to  thee  to  pay  tribute." 

Chorus  II.  "O  thou,  thou  Osiris-Rameses !  ever-living  son 
of  heaven,  born  of  the  goddess  Nut,  may  thy  mother  surround 
thee  with  the  mystery  of  heaven,  and  permit  that  thou  become 
a  god,  O  thou,  O  Osiris-Rameses."1 

"  So  then  the  holy  father  is  dead,"  said  Pentuer  to  him 
self. 

He  left  the  window  and  approached  the  place  where  the  heir 
was  sitting,  sunk  in  imaginings. 

The  priest  knelt  before  him,  fell  on  his  face,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Be  greeted,  O  pharaoh,  ruler  of  the  world !  " 

"  What  dost  thou  say?  "  cried  the  prince,  springing  up. 

"  May  the  One,  the  Ail-Powerful,  pour  down  on  thee  wis 
dom  and  strength,  and  happiness  on  thy  people." 

' '  Rise,  Pentuer  !      Then  I  —  then  I  —  " 

Suddenly  he  took  the  arm  of  the  priest  and  turned  toward 
the  Sphinx. 

'  *  Look  at  it,"  said  he. 

But  neither  in  the  face  nor  in  the  posture  of  the  colossus 
was  there  any  change.  One  pharaoh  had  stepped  over  the 
threshold  of  eternity;  another  rose  up  like  the  sun,  but  the 
stone  face  of  the  god  or  the  monster  was  the  same  precisely. 
On  its  lips  was  a  gentle  smile  for  earthly  power  and  glory;  in 
its  glance  there  was  a  waiting  for  something  which  was  to  come, 
but  when  no  one  knew. 

Soon  the  messengers  returned  from  the  ferry  with  informa 
tion  that  boats  would  be  waiting  there. 

Pentuer  went  among  the  palms,  and  cried,  — 

"Wake!  wake !  " 

1  Tomb  inscriptions. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  477 

The  watchful  Asiatics  sprang  up  at  once,  and  began  to  bridle 
their  horses.  Tutmosis  also  rose,  and  yawned  with  a  grimace. 

"  BIT  !  "  grumbled  he,  "  what  cold!  Sleep  is  a  good  thing  ! 
I  barely  dozed  a  little,  and  now  I  am  able  to  go  even  to  the 
end  of  the  world,  even  again  to  the  Soda  Lakes.  BIT  !  I  have 
forgotten  the  taste  of  wine,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  my  hands 
are  becoming  covered  with  hair,  like  the  paws  of  a  jackal. 
And  it  is  two  hours  to  the  palace  yet. 

"  Happy  are  common  men!  One  ragged  rogue  sleeps  after 
another  and  feels  no  need  of  washing :  he  will  not  go  to  work 
till  his  wife  brings  a  barley  cake;  while  I,  a  great  lord,  must 
wander  about,  like  a  thief  in  the  night,  through  the  desert, 
without  a  drop  of  water  to  put  to  my  lips." 

The  horses  were  ready,  and  Rameses  mounted  his  own. 
Pentuer  approached,  took  the  bridle  of  the  ruler's  steed,  and 
led,  going  himself  on  foot. 

"  What  is  this?  "   inquired  the  astonished  Tutmosis. 

He  bethought  himself  quickly,  ran  up,  and  took  Rameses' 
horse  by  the  bridle  on  the  other  side.  And  so  all  advanced  in 
silence,  astonished  at  the  bearing  of  the  priest,  though  they 
felt  that  something  important  had  happened. 

After  a  few  hundred  steps  the  desert  ceased,  and  a  highroad 
through  the  field  lay  before  the  travellers. 

"  Mount  your  horses,"  said  Rameses  ;  "we  must  hurry." 

"  His  holiness  commands  you  to  sit  on  your  horses,"  cried 
Pentuer. 

All  were  amazed.  But  Tutmosis  recovered  quickly,  and 
placed  his  hand  on  his  sword-hilt. 

"  May  he  live  through  eternity,  our  all-powerful  and  gracious 
leader  Rameses  !  "  shouted  the  adjutant. 

"  May  he  live  through  eternity !  "  howled  the  Asiatics,  shak 
ing  their  weapons. 

"  I  thank  you,  my  faithful  warriors,"  answered  their  lord. 

A  moment  later  the  mounted  party  was  hastening  toward  the 
river. 


478  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 


CHAPTER   L 

WE  know  not  whether  the  prophets  in  the  underground 
temple  of  the  Sphinx  saw  the  new  ruler  of  Egypt 
when  he  halted  at  the  foot  of  the  pyramids,  and  gave  informa 
tion  touching  him  at  the  palace,  and  if  so  how  they  did  it. 
The  fact  is  that  when  Rameses  was  approaching  the  ferry,  the 
most  worthy  Herhor  gave  orders  to  rouse  the  palace  servants, 
and  when  their  lord  was  crossing  the  Nile  all  priests,  generals, 
and  civil  dignitaries  were  assembled  in  the  great  hall  of  audience. 

Exactly  at  sunrise  Rameses  XIIL,  at  the  head  of  a  small 
escort,  rode  into  the  palace  yard,  where  the  servants  fell  on 
their  faces  before  him,  and  the  guard  presented  arms  to  the 
sound  of  drums  and  trumpets. 

His  holiness  saluted  the  army  and  went  to  the  bathing  cham 
bers,  where  he  took  a  bath  filled  with  perfumes.  Then  he  gave 
permission  to  arrange  his  divine  hair ;  but  when  the  barber 
asked  most  submissively  if  the  pharaoh  commanded  to  shave 
his  head  and  beard,  the  lord  replied,  — 

4 '  There  is  no  need.     I  am  not  a  priest,  but  a  warrior. " 

These  words  reached  the  audience-hall  a  moment  later;  in 
an  hour  they  had  gone  around  the  palace ;  about  midday  they 
had  passed  through  every  part  of  the  city  of  Memphis,  and 
toward  evening  they  were  known  in  all  the  temples  of  the  state, 
from  Tami-n-hor  and  Sabne-Chetam  on  the  north  to  Sunnu  and 
Pilak  on  the  south. 

At  this  intelligence  the  nomarchs,  the  nobility,  the  army,  the 
people,  and  the  foreigners  were  wild  with  delight,  but  the  sacred 
order  of  priests  mourned  the  more  zealously  the  dead  pharaoh. 

When  his  holiness  emerged  from  the  bath  he  put  on  a  war 
rior's  short  shirt  with  black  and  yellow  stripes,  and  a  yellow 
breast-piece ;  on  his  feet  sandals  fastened  with  thongs,  and  on 
his  head  a  low  helmet  with  a  circlet.  Then  he  girded  on  that 
Assyrian  sword  which  he  had  worn  at  the  battle  of  the  Soda 
Lakes,  and,  surrounded  by  a  great  suite  of  generals,  he  entered 
with  a  clatter  and  clinking  the  audience-hall. 

There  the  high  priest  Herhor  stood  before  him,  having  at  his 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  479 

side  Sem,  the  holy  high  priest,  Mefres,  and  others,  and  behind 
him  the  chief  judges  of  Thebes  and  Memphis,  some  of  the 
nearer  nomarchs,  the  chief  treasurer,  also  the  overseers  of  the 
house  of  wheat,  the  house  of  cattle,  the  house  of  garments, 
the  house  of  slaves,  the  house  of  silver  and  gold,  and  a  multi 
tude  of  other  dignitaries. 

Herhor  bowed  before  Rameses,  and  said  with  emotion,  — 

"Lord!  it  has  pleased  thy  eternally  living  father  to  with 
draw  to  the  gods  where  he  is  enjoying  endless  delight.  To 
thee,  then,  has  fallen  the  duty  of  caring  for  the  fate  of  the 
orphan  kingdom. 

;iBe  greeted,  therefore,  O  lord  and  ruler  of  the  world,  and, 
holiness,  may  thou  live  through  eternity  Cham-Sam-merer- 
amen-Rameses-Neter-haq-an." 

Those  present  repeated  this  salutation  with  enthusiasm. 
They  expected  the  new  ruler  to  show  some  emotion  or  feeling. 
To  the  astonishment  of  all  he  merely  moved  his  brow  and 
answered,  - 

"  In  accordance  with  the  will  of  his  holiness,  my  father,  and 
with  the  laws  of  Egypt,  I  take  possession  of  government  and 
will  conduct  it  to  the  glory  of  the  state  and  the  happiness  of  the 
people." 

He  turned  suddenly  to  Herhor  and,  looking  him  sharply  in 
the  eyes,  inquired,  — 

"  On  thy  mitre,  worthiness,  I  sec  the  golden  serpent.  Why 
hast  thou  put  that  symbol  of  regal  power  on  thy  head  ?  " 

A  deathlike  silence  settled  on  the  assembly.  The  haughtiest 
man  in  Egypt  had  never  dreamed  that  the  young  lord  would 
begin  rule  by  putting  a  question  like  that  to  the  most  powerful 
person  in  the  state,  more  powerful,  perhaps,  than  the  late 
pharaoh. 

But  behind  the  young  lord  stood  a  number  of  generals ;  in 
the  courtyard  glittered  the  bronze-covered  regiments  of  the 
guard  ;  and  crossing  the  Nile  at  that  moment  was  an  army  wild 
from  the  triumph  at  the  Soda  Lakes,  and  enamored  of  its  leader. 

The  powerful  Herhor  grew  pale  as  wax,  and  the  voice  could 
not  issue  from  his  straitened  throat. 

"  I  ask  your  worthiness,"  repeated  the  pharaoh,  calmly,  "  by 
what  right  is  the  regal  serpent  on  thy  mitre?" 


480  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

"This  is  the  mitre  of  thy  grandfather,  the  holy  Amenhotep," 
answered  Herhor,  in  a  low  voice.  "  The  supreme  council  com 
manded  me  to  wear  it  on  occasions." 

"  My  holy  grandfather,"  replied  the  pharaoh,  "  was  father 
of  the  queen,  and  in  the  way  of  favor  he  received  the  right  to 
adorn  his  mitre  with  the  nreus.  But,  so  far  as  is  known  to  me, 
his  sacred  vestment  is  counted  among  the  relics  of  the  temple 
of  Amon." 

Herhor  had  recovered. 

"  Deign  to  remember,  holiness,"  explained  he,  k'  that  for 
twenty-four  hours  Egypt  has  been  deprived  of  its  legal  ruler. 
Meanwhile  some  one  had  to  wake  and  put  to  sleep  the  god 
Osiris,  to  impart  blessings  to  the  people  and  render  homage 
to  the  ancestors  of  the  pharaoh." 

' '  In  such  a  grievous  time  the  supreme  council  commanded 
me  to  wear  this  holy  relic,  so  that  the  order  of  the  state  and 
the  service  of  the  gods  might  not  be  neglected.  But  the  mo 
ment  that  we  have  a  lawful  and  mighty  ruler  I  set  aside  the 
wondrous  relic." 

Then  Herhor  took  from  his  head  the  mitre  adorned  with  the 
ureus,  and  gave  it  to  the  high  priest  Mefres. 

The  threatening  face  of  the  pharaoh  grew  calm,  and  he 
turned  his  steps  toward  the  throne. 

Suddenly  the  holy  Mefres  barred  the  way,  and  said  while 
bending  to  the  pavement,  — 

"  Deign,  holy  lord,  to  hear  my  most  submissive  prayer." 

But  neither  in  his  voice  nor  his  eyes  was  there  submission 
when,  straightening  himself,  he  continued,  — 

u  I  have  words  from  the  supreme  council  of  high  priests." 

"  Utter  them,"  said  the  pharaoh. 

"  It  is  known  to  thee,  holiness,  that  a  pharaoh  who  has  not 
received  ordination  as  high  priest  cannot  perform  the  highest 
sacrifices ;  that  is,  dress  and  undress  the  miraculous  Osiris  —  " 

"  I  understand,"  interrupted  Rameses,  "I  am  a  pharaoh 
who  has  not  received  the  ordination  of  high  priest." 

"  For  that  reason,"  continued  Mefres,  "  the  supreme  council 
begs  thee  submissively,  holiness,  to  appoint  a  high  priest  to 
take  thy  place  in  religious  functions." 

When  they  heard  these  decided  words,  the  high  priests  and 


THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE    PRIEST  481 

civil  dignitaries  trembled  and  squirmed  as  if  standing  on  hot 
stones,  and  the  generals  touched  their  swords  as  if  involuntarily. 
The  holy  Mefres  looked  at  them  with  unconcealed  contempt,  and 
fixed  his  cold  glance  again  on  the  face  of  the  pharaoh. 

But  the  lord  of  the  world  showed  no  trouble  even  this  time. 

4 'It  is  well,"  said  he,  "  that  thou  hast  reminded  me,  worthi 
ness,  of  this  important  duty.  The  military  profession  and 
affairs  of  state  do  not  permit  me  to  occupy  myself  with  the 
ceremonies  of  our  holy  religion,  so  I  must  appoint  a  substitute." 

While  speaking  he  looked  around  at  the  men  assembled. 

On  the  left  of  Herhor  stood  the  holy  Sem.  Rameses  glanced 
into  his  mild  and  honest  face  and  inquired  suddenly,  — 

"Who  and  what  art  thou,  worthiness?  " 

4 'My  name  is  Sem ;  I  am  high  priest  of  the  temple  of  Ptah  in 
Pi-Bast." 

"Thou  wilt  be  my  substitute  in  religious  ceremonies,"  said 
the  pharaoh,  pointing  toward  him  with  his  finger. 

A  murmur  of  astonishment  ran  through  the  assembly. 

After  long  meditation  and  counsels  it  would  have  been  diffi 
cult  to  select  a  more  worthy  priest  for  that  high  office. 

Herhor  grew  much  paler  than  before  ;  Mefres  pressed  his  blue 
lips  together  tightly  and  dropped  his  eyelids. 

A  moment  later  the  new  pharaoh  sat  on  his  throne,  which 
instead  of  feet  had  the  carved  figures  of  princes  and  the  kings 
of  nine  nations. 

Soon  Herhor  gave  to  the  lord,  on  a  golden  plate,  a  white  and 
also  a  red  crown. 

The  sovereign  placed  the  crowns  on  his  own  head  in  silence, 
while  those  present  fell  prostrate. 

That  was  not  the  solemn  coronation ;  it  was  merely  taking 
possession  of  power. 

When  the  priests  had  incensed  the  pharaoh  and  had  sung  a 
hymn  to  Osiris,  imploring  that  god  to  pour  all  blessings  on  the 
sovereign,  dignitaries  of  the  civil  power  and  of  the  army  were 
permitted  to  kiss  the  lowest  step  of  the  throne.  Then  Rameses 
took  a  gold  spoon,  and,  repeating  a  prayer  which  the  holy  Sem 
pronounced  aloud,  he  incensed  the  statues  of  the  gods  arranged 
in  line  on  both  sides  of  the  pharaoh's  chapel. 

4' What  am  I  to  do  now?"  inquired  he. 
31 


482  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Show  thyself  to  the  people, "  replied  Herhor. 

Through  a  gilded,  widely  opened  door  his  holiness  ascended 
marble  steps  to  a  terrace,  and,  raising  his  hands,  faced  in  turn 
toward  the  four  sides  of  the  universe.  The  sound  of  trumpets 
was  heard,  and  from  the  summits  of  pylons  banners  were  hung 
out.  Whoso  was  in  a  field,  in  a  yard,  on  the  street,  fell  pros 
trate  ;  the  stick,  raised  above  the  back  of  a  beast  or  a  slave, 
was  lowered  without  giving  the  blow,  and  all  criminals  against 
the  state  who  had  been  sentenced  that  day  received  grace. 

Descending  from  the  terrace  the  pharaoh  inquired,  — 

"  Have  I  something  more  to  do  ?  " 

"Refreshments  and  affairs  of  state  are  awaiting  thee,  holi 
ness,"  replied  Herhor. 

"After  that  I  may  rest,"  said  the  pharaoh.  "Where  are 
the  remains  of  his  holiness,  my  father  ?  " 

"  Given  to  the  embalmers,"  whispered  Herhor. 

Tears  filled  the  pharaoh's  eyes,  and  his  mouth  quivered,  but 
he  restrained  himself  and  looked  down  in  silence.  It  was 
not  proper  that  servants  should  see  emotion  in  such  a  mighty 
ruler. 

Wishing  to  turn  the  pharaoh's  attention  to  another  subject, 
Herhor  asked,  — 

"  Wilt  thou  be  pleased,  holiness,  to  receive  the  homage  due 
from  the  queen,  thy  mother?  " 

"  I  ?  Am  I  to  receive  homage  from  my  mother  ? "  asked 
Rameses,  with  repressed  voice. 

"  Hast  thou  forgotten  what  the  sage  Eney  said?  Perhaps 
holy  Sem  will  repeat  those  beautiful  words  to  us." 

"  Remember,"  quoted  Sem,  "  that  she  gave  birth  to  thee  and 
nourished  thee  in  every  manner  —  " 

"Speak  further;  speak!"  insisted  the  pharaoh,  striving 
always  to  command  himself. 

"  Shouldst  thou  forget  that  she  would  raise  her  hands  to  the 
god,  and  he  would  hear  her  complaint.  She  bore  thee  long- 
beneath  her  heart,  like  a  great  burden,  and  gave  thee  birth 
when  thy  mouths  had  expired.  She  carried  thee  in  her  arms 
afterward,  and  during  three  years  she  put  her  breast  into  thy 
mouth.  She  reared  thee,  was  not  disgusted  with  thy  unclean- 
ness.  And  when  thou  wrert  going  to  school  and  wert  exer- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  483 

cised  in  writing,  she  placed  before  thy  teacher  daily  bread  and 
beer  from  her  own  dwelling."  l 

Rameses  sighed  deeply  and  said  with  calmness,  — 

"So  ye  see  that  it  is  not  proper  that  my  mother  should 
salute  me.  Rather  I  will  go  to  her." 

And  he  passed  through  a  series  of  halls  lined  with  marble, 
alabaster,  and  wood,  painted  in  bright  colors,  carved  and 
gilded  ;  behind  him  went  his  immense  suite.  But  when  he  came 
to  the  antechamber  of  his  mother's  apartments,  he  made  a 
sign  to  leave  him.  When  he  had  passed  the  antechamber,  he 
stopped  a  while  before  the  door,  then  knocked  and  entered 
quietly. 

In  a  chamber  with  bare  walls,  where  in  place  of  furniture 
there  stood  only  a  low  wooden  couch  and  a  broken  pitcher 
holding  water,  all  in  sign  of  mourning,  Queen  Nikotris,  the 
mother  of  the  pharaoh,  was  sitting  on  a  stone.  She  was  in  a 
coarse  shirt,  barefoot;  her  face  was  smeared  with  inud  from 
the  Nile,  and  in  her  tangled  hair  there  were  ashes. 

When  she  saw  Rameses,  the  worthy  lady  inclined  so  as  to 
fall  at  his  feet.  But  the  son  seized  her  in  his  arms,  and  said 
with  weeping.  — 

"  If  thou,  O  mother,  incline  to  the  ground  before  me,  I  shall 
be  forced  to  go  under  the  ground  before  thee" 

The  queen  drew  his  head  to  her  bosom,  wiped  away  his  tears 
with  the  sleeve  of  her  coarse  shirt,  and  then,  raising  her  hands, 
whispered,  — 

u  May  all  the  gods,  may  the  spirit  of  thy  father  and  grand 
father,  surround  thee  with  blessing  and  solicitude.  O  Isis,  I 
have  never  spared  offerings  to  thee,  but  to-day  I  make  the 
greatest ;  I  give  my  beloved  son  to  thee.  Let  this  kingly  son 
become  thy  son  entirely,  and  may  his  greatness  and  his  glory 
increase  thy  divine  inheritance.'* 

The  pharaoh  embraced  and  kissed  his  mother  repeatedly, 
then  he  seated  her  on  the  wooden  couch  and  sat  on  the  stone 
himself. 

u  Has  my  father  left  commands  to  me?  "  inquired  he. 

"  He  begged  thee  only  to  remember  him,  but  he  said  to  the 
supreme  council,  '  I  leave  you  my  heir,  who  is  a  lion  and  an 

1  Authentic. 


484  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

eagle  in  one  person;  obey  him,  and  he  will  elevate  Egypt  to 
incomparable  power.'" 

"  Dost  thou  think  that  the  priests  will  obey  me?  " 

"Remember,"  answered  the  queen,  "  that  the  device  of  the 
pharaoh  is  a  serpent,  and  a  serpent  means  prudence,  which  is 
silent,  and  no  one  knows  when  it  will  bite  mortally.  If  thou 
take  time  as  thy  confederate,  thou  wilt  accomplish  everything." 

"Herhor  is  tremendously  haughty.  To-day  he  dared  to 
put  on  the  mitre  of  the  holy  Amenhotep.  Of  course  I  com 
manded  him  to  set  it  aside.  I  will  remove  him  from  the 
government,  —  him  and  certain  members  of  the  supreme 
council." 

The  queen  shook  her  head. 

"Egypt  is  thine,"  said  she,  "and  the  gods  have  endowed 
thee  with  great  wisdom.  Were  it  not  for  that,  I  should  fear 
terribly  a  struggle  with  Herhor." 

"  I  do  not  dispute  with  him ;  I  remove  him." 

"  Egypt  is  thine,"  repeated  the  queen,  "  but  I  fear  a  struggle 
with  the  priests.  It  is  true  that  thy  father,  who  was  mild 
beyond  measure,  has  made  those  men  insolent,  but  it  is  not 
wise  to  bring  them  to  despair  through  severity.  Besides,  think 
of  this  :  Who  will  replace  them  in  counsel?  They  know  every 
thing  that  has  been,  that  is,  and  that  will  be  on  earth  and  in 
heaven  ;  they  know  the  most  secret  thoughts  of  mankind,  and 
they  direct  hearts  as  the  wind  directs  tree  leaves.  Without 
them  thou  wilt  be  ignorant  not  only  of  what  is  happening  in 
Tyre  and  Nineveh,  but  even  in  Thebes  and  Memphis." 

"I  do  not  reject  their  wisdom,  but  I  want  service," 
answered  the  pharaoh.  "I  know  that  their  understanding  is 
great,  but  it  must  be  controlled  so  that  it  may  not  deceive, 
and  it  must  be  directed  lest  it  ruin  the  State.  Tell  me  thyself, 
mother,  what  they  have  done  with  Egypt  in  the  course  of 
thirty  years?  The  people  suffer  want,  or  are  in  rebellion;  the 
army  is  small,  the  treasury  is  empty,  and  meanwhile  two  months' 
distance  from  us  Assyria  is  increasing  like  dough  containing 
leaven,  and  to-day  is  forcing  on  us  treaties." 

"  Do  as  may  please  thee,  but  remember  that  the  device  of  a 
pharaoh  is  a  serpent,  and  a  serpent  is  silence  and  discretion." 

"Thou  speakest  truth,   mother,  but  believe  me,  at  certain 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  485 

times  daring  is  better  than  prudence.  The  priests  planned,  as 
I  know  to-day,  that  the  Libyan  war  should  last  entire  years. 
I  finished  it  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  and  only  because 
every  day  I  took  some  mad  but  decisive  step  —  If  I  had  not 
rushed  to  the  desert  against  them,  which  by  the  way  was  a 
great  indiscretion,  we  should  have  the  Libyans  outside  Mem 
phis  at  this  moment." 

"  I  know  that  thou  didst  hunt  down  Tehenna,  and  that 
Typhon  caught  thee,"  said  the  queen.  "  O  hasty  child,  thou 
didst  not  think  of  me." 

He  smiled. 

u  Be  of  good  heart,"  replied  Rameses.  "  When  the  pharaoh 
is  in  battle,  at  his  left  and  his  right  hand  stands  Amon.  Who 
then  can  touch  him  ?  " 

He  embraced  the  queen  once  more  and  departed. 


CHAPTER.  LI 

THE  immense  suite  of  his  holiness  had  remained  in  the 
hall  of  attendance,  but  as  if  split  into  two  parts.  On 
one  side  were  Herhor,  Mefres,  and  some  high  priests  superior 
in  years ;  on  the  other  were  all  the  generals,  civil  officials,  and 
a  majority  of  the  younger  priests. 

The  eagle  glance  of  the  pharaoh  saw  in  one  instant  this 
division  of  dignitaries,  and  in  the  heart  of  the  young  sovereign 
joyous  pride  was  kindled. 

•'And  here  I  have  gained  a  victory  without  drawing  my 
sword,"  thought  Rameses. 

The  dignitaries  drew  away  farther  and  more  distinctly  from 
rlerhor  and  Mefres,  for  no  one  doubted  that  the  two  high 
priests,  till  then  the  most  powerful  persons  in  the  state,  had 
ceased  to  possess  the  favor  of  the  new  pharaoh. 

Now  the  sovereign  went  to  the  hall  of  refection,  where  he 
was  astonished  first  of  all  by  the  multitude  of  serving  priests 
and  the  number  of  the  dishes. 

u  Have  I  to  eat  all  this?"  inquired  he,  without  hiding  his 
amazement. 

The    priest   who    inspected    the   kitchen    explained   to   the 


486  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

pharaoh  that  the  dishes  not  used  by  his  holiness  went  as  offer 
ings  to  the  dynasty.  And  while  speaking  he  indicated  the 
statues  placed  in  line  along  the  hall. 

Rameses  gazed  at  the  statues,  which  looked  as  if  no  one  had 
made  them  an  offering ;  next  at  the  priests,  who  were  as  fresh 
of  complexion  as  if  they  had  eaten  everything  presented  ;  then 
he  asked  for  beer,  also  the  bread  used  by  warriors,  and  garlic. 

The  elder  priest  was  astonished,  but  he  repeated  the  order  to 
the  younger  one.  The  younger  hesitated,  but  repeated  the 
command  to  the  serving  men  and  women.  The  servants  at  the 
first  moment  did  not  believe  their  own  ears,  but  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  later  they  returned  terrified,  and  whispered  to  the  priests 
that  there  was  no  warriors'  bread  nor  garlic. 

The  pharaoh  smiled  and  gave  command  that  from  that  day 
forth  there  should  not  be  a  lack  of  simple  food  in  his  kitchen. 
Then  he  ate  a  pigeon,  a  morsel  of  wheaten  cake,  and  drank 
some  wine. 

He  confessed  in  spirit  that  the  food  was  well  prepared  and 
the  wine  exquisite.  He  could  not  free  himself  from  the 
thought,  however,  that  the  court  kitchen  must  swallow 
immense  sums  of  money. 

Having  burnt  incense  to  his  ancestors,  the  pharaoh  betook 
himself  to  his  cabinet  to  hear  reports  from  ministers. 

Herhor  came  first.  He  bent  down  before  his  lord  much  lower 
than  he  had  when  greeting  him,  and  congratulated  Rameses 
on  his  victory  at  the  Soda  Lakes  with  great  enthusiasm. 

" Thou  didst  rush,"  said  he,  "holiness,  on  the  Libyans  like 
Typhon  on  the  miserable  tents  of  wanderers  through  the  des 
ert.  Thou  hast  won  a  great  battle  with  very  small  losses,  and 
with  one  blow  of  thy  divine  sword  hast  finished  a  war,  the  end 
of  which  was  unseen  by  us  common  men." 

The  pharaoh  felt  his  dislike  toward  the  minister  decreasing. 

"  For  this  cause,"  continued  the  high  priest,  "  the  supreme 
council  implores  thee,  holiness,  to  appoint  ten  talents'  reward 
to  the  valiant  regiments.  Do  thou,  as  supreme  chief,  permit 
that  to  thy  name  be  added  '  The  Victorious.'  ' 

Counting  on  the  youth  of  the  pharaoh,  Herhor  exaggerated 
in  flattery.  Rameses  recovered  from  his  delight  and  replied 
on  a  sudden,  — 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  487 


. . 


What  wouldst  thou  add  to  my  name  had  I  destroyed  the 
Assyrian  army  and  filled  our  temples  with  the  riches  of  Nin 
eveh  and  Babylon  ?  " 

"•  So  he  is  always  dreaming  of  that?"  thought  the  high 
priest. 

The  pharaoh,  as  if  to  confirm  Herhor's  fears,  changed  the 
subject. 

"How  many  troops  have  we?"  asked  he. 

"  Here  in  Memphis?  " 

"No,  in  all  Egypt." 

"Thou  hadst  ten  regiments,  holiness,"  answered  Herhor. 
"The  worthy  Nitager  on  the  eastern  boundary  has  fifteen. 
There  are  ten  on  the  south,  for  Nubia  begins  to  be  disturbed ; 
five  are  garrisoned  throughout  the  country." 

"  Forty  altogether,"  said  Rameses,  after  some  thought. 
4 '  How  many  warriors  in  all  ?  " 

"  About  sixty  thousand." 

Rameses  sprang  up  from  his  chair. 

"  Sixty  thousand  instead  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thou 
sand  !"  shouted  he.  "  What  does  this  mean?  What  have  ye 
done  with  my  army  ?  " 

"  There  are  no  means  to  maintain  more  men." 

"O  God!"  said  the  Pharaoh,  seizing  his  head.  "But  the 
Assyrians  may  attack  us  a  month  hence.  We  are  disarmed —  " 

"  We  have  a  preliminary  treaty  with  Assyria,"  put  in 
Herhor. 

"  A  woman  might  give  such  an  answer,  but  not  a  minister  of 
war,"  said  Rameses,  with  indignation.  "  What  does  a  treaty 
mean  when  there  is  no  army  behind  it :  To-day  one  half  of 
the  troops  which  King  Assar  commands  would  crush  us." 

"  Deign  to  be  at  rest,  holy  lord.  At  the  first  news  of 
Assyrian  treason  we  should  have  half  a  million  of  warriors." 

The  pharaoh  laughed  in  his  face. 

"What?     How?     Thou  art  mad,  priest !     Thou  art  groping 
among  papyruses,  but  I  have  served  seven  years  in  the  army, 
and  there  was  almost  no  day  which  I  did  not  pass  in  drill  or' 
manoeuvres.     How  couldst  thou  have  an  army  of  half  a  million 
in  the  course  of  a  few  months?  " 

"  All  the  nobility  would  rise/' 


488  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  What  is  thy  nobility?  Nobility  is  not  an  army.  To  form 
an  army  of  half  a  million,  at  least  a  hundred  and  fifty  regiments 
are  needed,  and  we,  as  thou  thyself  sayest,  have  forty.  How 
could  those  men  who  to-day  are  herding  cattle,  ploughing  land, 
making  pots,  or  drinking  and  idling  on  their  lands,  learn  the 
art  of  warfare?  Egyptians  are  poor  materials  for  an  army. 
I  know  that,  for  I  see  them  daily.  A  Libyan,  a  Greek,  a 
Hittite,  in  boyhood  even  uses  a  bow  and  arrows  and  a  sling ; 
he  handles  a  club  perfectly;  in  a  year  he  learns  to  march  pass 
ably.  But  only  in  three  years  will  an  Egyptian  inarch  in  some 
fashion.  It  is  true  that  he  grows  accustomed  to  a  sword  and  a 
spear  in  two  years,  but  to  cast  missiles  four  years  are  too  short 
a  time  for  him.  So  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  ye  could 
put  out  not  an  army,  but  half  a  million  of  a  rabble  which  the 
Assyrians  would  break  to  pieces  in  the  twinkle  of  an  eye.  For, 
though  the  Assyrian  regiments  are  poor  and  badly  trained,  an 
Assyrian  knows  how  to  hurl  stones  and  shoot  arrows ;  he  knows 
how  to  cut  and  thrust,  and,  above  all,  he  has  the  onrush  of  a 
wild  beast,  which  is  lacking  in  the  mild  Egyptians  altogether.  We 
break  the  enemy  by  this,  that  our  trained  and  drilled  regiments 
are  like  a  battering  ram:  it  is  necessary  to  beat  down  one-half 
of  our  men  before  the  column  is  injured.  But  when  the  column 
is  broken,  there  is  no  Egyptian  army." 

"Thou  speakest  wisdom,"  said  Herhor  to  the  panting  pha- 
raoh.  "  Only  the  gods  possess  such  acquaintance  with  things. 
I  know  that  the  forces  of  Egypt  are  too  weak ;  that  to  create 
new  ones  many  years  of  labor  are  needed.  For  this  very  reason 
I  wish  to  conclude  a  treaty  with  Assyria. " 

"  But  ye  have  concluded  it  already !  " 

"  For  the  moment.  Sargon,  in  view  of  the  sickness  of  thy 
father,  and  fearing  thee,  holiness,  deferred  the  conclusion  of  a 
regular  treaty  till  thou  shouldst  ascend  the  throne." 

The  pharaoh  fell  into  anger  again. 

"What?"  cried  he.  "Then  they  think  really  of  seizing 
Phoenicia  !  And  do  they  suppose  that  I  will  sign  the  infamy  of 
my  reign?  Evil  spirits  have  seized  all  of  you !  " 

The  audience  was  ended.  Herhor  fell  on  his  face  this  time, 
but  while  returning  from  his  lord  he  considered  in  his  heart,  — 

"  His  holiness  has  heard  the  report,  hence  he  does  not  reject 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  489 

my  services.  I  have  told  him  that  he  must  sign  a  treaty  with 
Assyria,  hence  the  most  difficult  question  is  finished.  He  will 
come  to  his  mind  before  Sargon  returns  to  us.  But  he  is  a 
lion,  and  not  even  a  lion,  but  a  mad  elephant.  Still  he  became 
pharaoh  only  because  he  is  the  grandson  of  a  high  priest.  He 
does  not  understand  yet  that  those  same  hands  which  raised 
him  so  high  —  " 

In  the  antechamber  the  worthy  Herhor  halted,  thought  over 
something  ;  at  last  instead  of  going  to  his  own  dwelling  he  went 
to  Queen  Nikotris. 

In  the  garden  there  were  neither  women  nor  children,  but 
from  the  scattered  villas  came  groans.  Those  were  from  women 
belonging  to  the  house  of  the  late  pharaoh  who  were  lamenting 
that  sovereign  who  had  gone  to  the  west.  Their  sorrow,  it 
seemed,  was  sincere. 

Meanwhile  the  supreme  judge  entered  the  cabinet  of  the  new 
pharaoh. 

"  What  hast  thou  to  tell  me,  worthiness?"  asked  Rameses. 

"  Some  days  ago  an  unusual  thing  happened  near  Thebes," 
replied  the  judge.  "  A  laborer  killed  his  wife  and  three  children 
and  drowned  himself  in  the  sacred  lake." 

44  Had  he  gone  mad?  " 

"  It  seems  that  his  act  was  caused  by  hunger." 

The  pharaoh  grew  thoughtful. 

"  A  strange  event,"  said  he,  "  but  I  wish  to  hear  of  some 
thing  else.  What  crimes  happen  most  commonly  in  these  days?  " 

The  supreme  judge  hesitated. 

"Speak  boldly,"  said  the  pharaoh,  now  grown  impatient, 
44  and  hide  nothing  from  me.  I  know  that  Egypt  has  fallen 
into  a  morass ;  I  wish  to  draw  it  out,  hence  I  must  know 
everything." 

"The  most  usual  crimes  are  revolts.  But  only  common 
people  revolt,"  added  the  judge,  hastily. 

UI  am  listening,"  said  the  pharaoh. 

"  In  Kosem  a  regiment  of  masons  and  stone-cutters  revolted 
recently;  for  some  time  needful  supplies  had  been  refused 
them.  In  Sechem  earth-tillers  killed  a  scribe  who  was  collecting 
taxes.  In  Melcatis  and  Pi-Hebit  also  earth-tillers  wrecked 
the  houses  of  Phoenician  tenants.  At  Kasa  they  refused  to 


490  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

repair  the  canal,  declaring  that  pay  from  the  treasury  was  due 
them  for  that  labor.  Finally  in  the  porphyry  quarries  the 
convicts  killed  their  overseers  and  tried  to  escape  in  a  body 
to  the  seacoast." 

"  This  news  does  not  surprise  me,"  replied  the  pharaoh. 
"But  what  dost  thou  think?" 

"  It  is  necessary  first  of  all  to  punish  the  guilty." 

"But  I  think  it  necessary  first  of  all  to  give  laborers  what 
belongs  to  them.  A  hungry  ox  will  lie  down  ;  a  hungry  horse 
will  totter  on  his  feet  and  pant.  How,  then,  can  we  ask  a 
hungry  man  to  work  and  not  declare  that  he  is  suffering?" 

"  Then,  holiness  —  " 

"  Pentuer  will  open  a  council  to  investigate  these  matters," 
interrupted  the  pharaoh.  "  Meanwhile  I  have  no  desire  to 
punish." 

"  In  that  case  a  general  insurrection  will  break  out,"  cried 
the  judge,  in  alarm. 

The  pharaoh  rested  his  chin  on  his  hands  and  considered,  — 

"  Well,"  said  he,  after  a  while,  "  let  the  courts  do  their  work, 
but  as  mildly  as  possible.  And  this  very  day  Pentuer  will 
assemble  his  council." 

"In  truth,"  added  he,  after  a  time,  "it  is  easier  to  make  a 
decision  in  battle  than  in  the  disorder  which  has  mastered 
Egypt." 

When  the  supreme  judge  had  departed,  the  pharaoh  sum 
moned  Tutmosis.  He  directed  him  to  salute  in  the  name  of 
the  sovereign  the  army  returning  from  the  Soda  Lakes,  and  to 
distribute  twenty  talents  among  the  officers  and  warriors. 

Then  he  commanded  Pentuer  to  come  ;  meanwhile  he  received 
the  chief  treasurer. 

"I  wish  to  know,"  said  he,  "what  the  condition  of  the 
treasury  is." 

"We  have,"  replied  the  dignitary,  "  at  this  moment  twenty 
thousand  talents  of  value  in  the  granaries,  stables,  storehouses, 
and  chests,  while  taxes  are  coming  in  daily." 

"  But  insurrections  are  breaking  out  daily,"  added  the  pha 
raoh.  "  What  is  our  general  income  and  outgo?  " 

"On  the  army  we  expend  yearly  twenty  thousand  talents; 
on  the  court  two  to  three  thousand  talents  monthly." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  491 

"  Well,  what  further?     And  public  works?  " 

"At  present  they  are  carried  on  without  expense,"  said  the 
treasurer,  dropping  his  head. 

"  And  the  income?  " 

"  We  have  as  much  as  we  expend,"  whispered  the  official. 

"  Then  we  have  forty  or  fifty  thousand  talents  yearly.  And 
where  is  the  rest?  " 

"Mortgaged  to  the  Phoenicians,  to  certain  bankers,  to  mer 
chants,  and  to  the  temples." 

"Well,  but  there  is  besides  the  inviolable  treasure  of  the 
pharaohs  in  gold,  platinum,  and  jewels ;  how  much  is  that 
worth  ?  " 

"That  was  taken  and  distributed  ten  years  ago." 

"  For  what  purpose?     To  whom?  " 

"For  the  needs  of  the  court,  in  gifts  to  nomarchs  and  to 
temples." 

"The  court  had  incomes  from  current  taxes.  But  could 
presents  exhaust  the  treasury  of  my  father?" 

"  Osiris  Rameses,  thy  father,  holiness,  was  a  bountiful  lord 
and  made  great  offerings." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  Were  they  so  great?  I  wish  to  know  about 
this,"  said  the  pharaoh,  impatiently. 

"  Exact  accounts  are  in  the  archives  ;  I  remember  only  general 
figures." 

"  Speak ! " 

"  For  example,"  answered  the  treasurer,  hesitatingly,  "  Osiris 
Rameses  in  the  course  of  his  happy  reign  gave  to  the  temples 
about  one  hundred  towns,  one  hundred  and  twenty  ships,  two 
million  head  of  cattle,  two  million  bags  of  wheat,  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  horses,  eighty  thousand  slaves,  two  hun 
dred  thousand  kegs  of  beer  and  wine,  three  million  loaves  of 
bread,  thirty  thousand  garments,  thirty  thousand  vessels  of 
honey,  olives,  and  incense.  Besides  that,  one  thousand  talents 
of  gold,  three  thousand  talents  of  silver,  ten  thousand  of  bronze, 
five  hundred  talents  of  dark  bronze,  six  million  garlands  of 
flowers,  twelve  hundred  statues  of  gods,  and  thirty  thousand 
precious  stones.1  Other  numbers  I  do  not  remember  at  the 
moment,  but  they  are  all  recorded." 

1  The  gifts  of  Rameses  III.  to  the  temples  were  incomparably  greater. 


492  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  pharaoh  raised  his  hands  with  laughter,  but  after  a  time 
fell  into  anger,  and  cried,  while  striking  the  table  with  his 
fist,  — • 

"  It  is  an  unheard  of  thing  that  a  handful  of  priests  should 
use  so  much  beer  and  bread,  so  many  garlands  and  robes,  while 
they  have  their  own  income,  —  an  immense  income,  which  ex 
ceeds  the  wants  of  these  holy  men  a  hundred  times." 

"  Thou  hast  been  pleased,  holiness,  to  forget  that  the  priests 
support  tens  of  thousands  of  poor ;  they  cure  an  equal  number  of 
sick,  and  maintain  a  number  of  regiments  at  the  expense  of  the 
temples." 

"What  do  they  want  of  regiments?  Even  the  pharaohs  use 
troops  only  in  wartime.  As  to  the  sick,  almost  every  man  of 
them  pays  for  himself,  or  works  out  what  he  owes  the  temple  for 
curing  him.  And  the  poor?  But  they  work  for  the  temple: 
they  carry  water  for  the  gods,  take  part  in  solemnities,  and, 
above  all,  are  connected  with  the  working  of  miracles.  It  is 
they  who  at  the  gates  of  the  temples  recover  reason,  sight, 
hearing ;  their  wounds  are  cured,  their  feet  and  hands  regain 
strength,  while  the  people  looking  at  these  miracles  pray  all  the 
more  eagerly  and  give  offerings  to  gods  the  more  bountiful. 

"  The  poor  are  like  the  oxen  and  sheep  of  the  temples :  they 
bring  in  pure  profit  —  " 

"But,"  the  treasurer  made  bold  to  put  in,  "  the  priests  do 
not  expend  all  the  offerings;  they  lay  them  up,  and  increase  the 
capital." 

"  For  what  purpose?" 
4<  For  some  sudden  need  of  the  state." 
"  Who  has  seen  this  capital?" 

"  I  have  seen  it  myself,"  said  the  dignitary.  "  The  treasures 
accumulated  in  the  labyrinth  do  not  decrease ;  they  increase 
from  generation  to  generation,  so  that  in  case  —  " 

"  So  that  the  Assyrians  might  have  something  to  take  when 
they  conquer  Egypt,  which  is  managed  by  priests  so  beauti 
fully  !"  interrupted  the  pharaoh.  "  I  thank  thee,  chief  treas 
urer;  I  knew  that  the  financial  condition  of  Egypt  was  bad,  but 
I  did  not  suppose  the  state  ruined.  There  are  rebellions,  there 
is  no  army,  the  pharaoh  is  in  poverty ;  but  the  treasure  in  the 
labyrinth  is  increasing  from  generation  to  generation." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  493 

'•If  each  dynasty,  an  entire  dynasty,  gave  as  many  gifts  to 
temples  as  my  father  has  given,  the  labyrinth  would  have 
nineteen  thousand  talents  of  gold,  about  sixty  thousand  of 
silver,  and  so  much  wheat,  and  land,  so  many  cattle,  slaves,  and 
towns,  so  many  garments  and  precious  stones,  that  the  best 
accountant  could  not  reckon  them." 

The  chief  treasurer  was  crushed  when  taking  farewell  of  the 
sovereign.  But  the  sovereign  himself  was  not  satisfied,  for 
after  a  moment's  thought  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  spoken 
too  plainly  with  officials. 


CHAPTER   LII 

THE  guard  in  the  antechamber  announced  Pentuer.  The 
priest  prostrated  himself  before  the  pharaoh,  and  said 
that  he  was  waiting  for  commands. 

"I  do  not  wish  to  command,"  said  Rameses,  "but  to  beg 
thee.  Thou  knowest  that  in  Egypt  there  are  riots  of  laborers, 
artisans,  even  convicts.  There  are  riots  from  the  sea  to  the 
quarries.  The  only  thing  lacking  is  that  my  warriors  should 
rebel  and  proclaim  as  pharaoh  —  Herhor,  for  example." 

"Live  through  eternity,  holiness!"  replied  the  priest. 
"There  is  not  a  man  in  Egypt  who  would  not  sacrifice 
himself  for  thee,  and  not  bless  thy  name." 

u  Aha,  if  they  knew,"  said  the  ruler,  with  anger,  "  how  help 
less  the  pharaoh  is,  and  how  poor  he  is,  each  nomarch  would 
like  to  be  the  lord  of  his  province.  I  thought  that  on  inheriting 
the  double  crown  I  should  signify  something.  But  I  have  con 
vinced  myself  during  the  first  day  that  I  am  merely  a  shadow 
of  the  former  rulers  of  Egypt;  for  what  can  a  pharaoh  be 
without  wealth,  without  an  army,  and,  above  all,  without  faithful 
subjects?  I  am  like  the  statues  of  the  gods  which  they  incense, 
and  before  which  they  place  offerings.  The  statues  are  power 
less  and  the  offerings  serve  to  fatten  the  priests.  But,  true, 
thou  art  on  their  side." 

"  It  is  painful  to  me,"  answered  Pentuer,  "  that  thou  speak - 
est  thus,  holiness,  on  the  first  day  of  thy  reign.  If  news  of 
this  were  to  go  over  Egypt !  " 


494  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  To  whom  can  I  tell  what  pains  me?"  interrupted  Rameses. 
"  Thou  art  my  counsellor ;  I  was  saved  by  thee,  or  at  least  thou 
hadst  the  wish  to  save  my  life,  not  of  course  to  publish  to  the 
world  that  which  is  happening  in  the  ruler's  heart,  which  heart 
I  open  before  thee.  But  thou  art  right." 

He  walked  up  and  down  in  the  chamber,  and  said  after  a 
while  in  a  tone  considerably  calmer,  — 

"I  have  appointed  thee  chief  of  a  council  which  is  to  investi 
gate  the  causes  of  those  ever-recurring  riots  in  Egypt.  I  wish 
that  only  the  guilty  be  punished,  and  that  justice  be  done  those 
who  are  injured." 

"May  the  god  support  thee  with  his  favor,"  whispered  the 
priest.  "  I  will  do  what  thou  commandest.  But  the  causes  of 
the  riots  I  know  already." 

44  What  are  they?" 

"  More  than  once  have  I  spoken  of  them  to  thee,  holiness. 
The  toiling  people  are  hungry ;  they  have  too  much  work,  and 
they  pay  too  many  taxes.  He  who  worked  formerly  from  sun 
rise  till  sunset  must  begin  now  an  hour  before  sunrise  and  fin 
ish  an  hour  after  sunset.  It  is  not  long  since  a  common  man 
might  go  every  tenth  day  to  visit  the  graves  of  his  mother  and 
father,  speak  with  their  shades,  and  make  them  offerings.  But 
to-day  no  one  goes,  for  no  one  has  time  to  go." 

"  Formerly  a  working  man  ate  three  wheat  cakes  in  the  course 
of  the  day;  at  present  he  has  not  even  barley  bread.  Formerly 
labor  on  the  canals,  dams,  and  roads  was  deducted  from  the 
taxes ;  now  the  taxes  are  paid  independently  while  public  works 
are  carried  on  without  wages.  These  are  the  causes  of  riots." 

"  I  am  the  poorest  noble  in  the  kingdom!  "  cried  the  pharaoh, 
while  he  tugged  at  his  own  hair.  "Any  landowner  gives  his 
cattle  proper  food  and  rest;  but  all  men  who  work  for  me  are 
tired  and  hungry." 

"  What  am  I  to  do,  then,  tell  thou  who  hast  begged  me  to 
improve  the  lot  of  the  workers  ?  " 

"  Wilt  thou  command  me  to  tell,  lord?  " 

"  I  will  beg,  I  will  command,  as  thou  wishest.  Only 
speak  wisely." 

"Blessed  be  thy  rule,  O  true  son  of  Osiris,"  answered  the 
priest.  "  This  is  what  it  is  proper  to  do  :  Command,  lord,  first 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  495 

of  all,  that  pay  be  given  for  labor  on  public  works,  as  was  the 
case  formerly  — " 

"Of  course." 

' '  Next  command  that  field  labor  last  only  from  sunrise  till 
sunset.  Then  direct,  as  during  the  divine  dynasties,  that 
people  rest  every  seventh  day;  not  every  tenth,  but  every 
seventh  day.  Then  command  that  landowners  shall  not  have 
the  right  to  mortgage  earth-tillers,  or  scribes  the  right  to  beat 
and  torture  them  according  to  fancy. 

"  And  finally,  give  the  tenth  part,  or  even  the  twentieth  part 
of  the  land  as  property  to  the  workers,  so  that  no  one  may 
take  it  away  or  mortgage  it.  Let  each  family  have  as  much 
land  in  extent  as  the  pavement  of  this  room,  and  it  will  not  be 
hungry.  Give  the  people  desert  sands  as  property,  and  in  a 
few  years  gardens  will  be  growing  on  them." 

"  Thou  speakest  beautifully,"  interrupted  the  pharaoh ;  "  but 
what  thou  sayest  is  what  thou  seest  in  thy  heart,  not  in  the 
world.  Men's  plans,  though  the  best,  are  not  always  in  accord 
with  the  natural  course  of  things." 

"  I  have  seen  such  changes  and  their  result,  holiness," 
answered  Pentuer. 

"At  certain  temples  various  trials  have  been  made  at  curing 
the  sick,  teaching  children,  rearing  cattle,  cultivating  plants, 
and  reforming  men,  and  the  following  has  happened:  When 
they  gave  a  lean  and  lazy  man  good  food,  and  rest  every 
seventh  day,  the  man  became  sturdy,  willing  to  work,  and  he 
dug  more  land  than  before.  A  laborer  who  receives  wages  is 
more  cheerful  and  does  more  work  than  a  slave,  even  though 
beaten  with  whips  of  kon.  Well-nourished  people  have  more 
children  than  hungry  and  overworked  ones ;  the  children  of 
free  men  are  healthy  and  strong ;  those  of  slaves  are  fragile, 
gloomy,  inclined  to  stealing  and  to  lying.  Men  have  convinced 
themselves  that  land  tilled  by  its  owner  gives  one  half  more 
grain  and  vegetables  than  land  tilled  by  captives. 

"I  will  tell  a  most  curious  thing  to  thee,  holiness:  When 
they  play  on  musical  instruments  to  ploughmen,  the  men  and 
the  oxen  work  better,  more  quickly,  and  tire  themselves  less 
than  when  there  is  no  music.  All  this  has  been  verified  at  our 
temples." 


496  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

The  pharaoh  smiled. 

"  I  must,"  said  he,  "  have  music  on  my  lands  and  in  the 
quarries.  But  if  the  priests  convince  themselves  of  such 
wonders  as  thou  art  relating,  why  act  as  they  do  on  their  own 
estates  ?  " 

Pentuer  dropped  his  head. 

"Because,"  replied  he,  sighing,  "not  all  priests  are  sages, 
not  all  have  noble  hearts." 

"  That  is  it!  "  exclaimed  the  pharaoh. 

"And  now  tell  me,  thou  who  art  a  son  of  earth- tillers,  and 
knowest  that  among  priests  there  are  fools  and  rioters,  tell  me, 
why  thou  art  unwilling  to  serve  me  in  a  struggle  against  the 
priesthood?  Thou  knowest  that  I  cannot  improve  the  lot  of 
the  working  man  unless  first  I  teach  the  priests  obedience  to 
my  orders." 

Pentuer  wrung  his  hands. 

"O  lord,"  replied  he,  "a  struggle  with  the  priesthood  is 
godless  and  dangerous.  More  than  one  pharaoh  began  it,  and 
was  unable  to  finish." 

"Because  he  was  not  supported  by  sages  like  thee!"  burst 
out  Rameses.  "And,  indeed,  I  shall  never  understand  why 
wise  and  honest  priests  bind  themselves  to  a  band  of  rogues, 
such  as  the  majority  of  this  class  are." 

Pentuer  shook  his  head  and  began  slowly,  — 

' l  During  thirty  thousand  years  the  sacred  order  of  priests 
has  nursed  Egypt  and  made  the  country  the  wonder  of  the 
world,  which  it  is  at  present.  And  how  have  the  priests,  in 
spite  of  their  faults,  been  able  to  do  this?  Because  they  are 
the  lamp  in  which  burns  the  light  of  wisdom. 

"  This  lamp  may  be  foul,  even  malodorous ;  still  it  preserves 
the  divine  fire,  without  which  darkness  and  savagery  would 
prevail  among  people. 

"Thou  speakest,  lord,  of  a  struggle  with  the  priesthood," 
continued  Pentuer.  "How  can  that  profit  me?  If  thou  lose 
I  shall  be  unhappy,  for  thou  wilt  not  improve  the  lot  of  the 
worker.  And  if  thou  win?  May  I  not  live  to  that!  for 
shouldst  thou  break  the  lamp,  who  knows  whether  thou  wouldst 
not  put  out  the  fire  of  wisdom  which  for  thousands  of  years 
has  illuminated  Egypt  and  mankind. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  497 

"These,  lord,  are  the  reasons  why  I  will  not  take  part  in 
thy  struggle  with  the  sacred  order  of  priests.  I  feel  that  the 
struggle  is  approaching,  and  I  suffer  because  such  a  worm  as  I 
arn  unable  to  prevent  it.  But  I  will  not  participate,  for  I  should 
have  to  betray  either  thee,  or  the  God,  the.  creator  of  wisdom." 

While  hearing  these  words  the  pharaoh  walked  up  and  down 
the  chamber  in  thought. 

"Aa!"  said  he,  without  anger,  "do  as  may  please  thee. 
Thou  art  not  a  warrior,  hence  I  cannot  reproach  thee  with  lack 
of  valor.  But  thou  canst  not  be  my  adviser,  though  I  beg 
thee  to  form  a  council  to  investigate  the  riots  of  working  men, 
and,  when  I  summon  thee,  declare  what  thy  wisdom  enjoins." 

Pentuer  knelt  down  in  taking  farewell  of  his  lord. 

"In  every  case,"  added  the  pharaoh,  "know  this,  that  I 
have  no  desire  to  quench  the  divine  light.  Let  the  priests 
guard  wisdom  in  their  temples,  but  —  let  them  not  make  my 
army  useless,  let  them  not  conclude  shameful  treaties,  and  — 
let  them  not  steal," — he  said  this  excitedly,  —  "  the  treasures 
of  the  pharaohs. 

"Can  they  think  that  I  will  stand  at  their  gates,  like  a 
beggar,  asking  that  they  deign  to  give  me  funds  to  restore  the 
state  which  is  ruined  by  their  stupid  and  villanous  manage 
ment?  Ha,  ha!  Pentuer,  I  should  not  ask  the  gods  for  that 
which  is  my  power  and  my  right  —  Thou  mayst  go." 

The  priest,  withdrawing  with  his  face  toward  the  pharaoh, 
went  out  backward  with  obeisance,  and  when  in  the  doorway 
he  fell  with  his  face  on  the  pavement. 

The  pharaoh  remained  alone. 

"Mortal  men,"  thought  lie,  "are  like  children.  Herhor  is 
wise :  he  knows  that  Egypt  in  case  of  war  would  need  half  a 
million  of  warriors ;  he  knows  that  those  troops  need  training, 
and  still  he  has  decreased  the  number  of  the  regiments. 

"  The  chief  treasurer  also  is  wise,  but  it  seems  to  him  quite  in 
order  that  all  the  treasure  of  the  pharaohs  should  go  to  the 
labyrinth. 

"  Finally  here  is  Pentuer.  What  a  strange  person  he  is  !  He 
wants  me  to  give  earth- tillers  food,  land,  and  ever-recurring 
holidays.  All  this  would  decrease  my  income,  which  even  now 

32 


498  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

is  insufficient.  But  if  I  say  to  him :  help  me  to  take  the  pha- 
raoh's  treasures  from  the  priesthood,  he  calls  that  godlessness 
and  the  quenching  of  light  in  Egypt.  Strange  man,  he  would 
be  glad  to  turn  the  state  bottom  upwards,  so  far  as  relates  to 
the  good  of  earth- tillers,  but  he  would  not  venture  to  seize  a 
high  priest  and  lead  him  forth  to  prison.  With  the  utmost  com 
posure  he  commands  me  to  renounce  half  my  income,  but  I  am 
sure  that  he  would  not  dare  to  take  a  copper  uten  out  of  the 
labyrinth." 

The  pharaoh  smiled,  and  again  he  meditated. 

"Each  man  wants  to  be  happy  himself;  but  if  thou  wish  to 
give  happiness  to  all  men,  each  one  will  seize  thy  hand  as  he 
would  if  thou  wert  drawing  an  aching  tooth  from  him. 

"Therefore  a  pharaoh  must  have  decision.  Therefore  my 
divine  father  did  ill  when  he  neglected  the  workers  and  trusted 
beyond  bounds  in  the  priesthood.  He  left  me  a  grievous  inher 
itance,  but  —  I  will  improve  it. 

"At  the  Soda  Lakes  there  was  also  a  difficult  question, 
more  difficult  than  this  one.  Here  are  only  gabblers  and  timid 
cowards ;  there  stood  armed  men  ready  to  go  to  death. 

"  One  battle  will  open  our  eyes  more  widely  than  tens  of 
years  in  peaceful  management.  Whoso  says  to  himself,  '  I 
will  burst  through  this  hindrance,'  will  burst  through  it.  But 
he  who  hesitates  must  yield." 

Darkness  came.  In  the  palace  the  watches  were  changed, 
and  in  the  remoter  halls  torches  were  lighted.  But  no  one 
dared  enter  the  sovereign's  chamber  unless  commanded. 

Rameses,  wearied  by  sleeplessness,  by  the  journey  of  the  day 
previous,  by  the  occupations  of  that  day,  dropped  into  an  arm 
chair.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  been  pharaoh  for  cen 
turies,  and  he  could  not  believe  that  one  day  had  not  passed 
since  he  had  been  at  the  pyramids. 

;t  One  day?     Impossible  !  " 

Then  he  thought  that  perhaps  the  spirits  of  the  former  pha- 
raohs  had  settled  in  the  heart  of  their  heir.  It  must  be  so,  for 
otherwise  whence  could  such  a  feeling  of  age  or  remoteness 
settle  down  in  him?  And  why  did  governing  the  state  seem 
to-day  a  simple  thing,  while  two  months  before  he  was  alarmed 
when  he  thought  that  he  could  not  govern. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  499 

44  One  day?"  repeated  he,  in  spirit.  "  But  I  am  a  thousand 
years  in  this  palace  !  " 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  repressed  voice,  — 

"  My  son  !     0  son  !  " 

The  pharaoh  sprang  up  from  his  chair. 

44  Who  art  thou?  "  exclaimed  he. 

44 1  am,  I —     Hast  thou  forgotten  me  already?  " 

44  O  my  son,"  said  the  voice  again,  44  respect  the  will  of  the 
gods  if  thou  wish  to  receive  their  blessed  assistance  —  O  re 
spect  the  gods,  for  without  their  assistance  the  greatest  power 
on  earth  is  as  dust  and  shadows  —  O  respect  the  gods  if  thou 
wish  that  the  bitterness  of  thy  faults  should  not  poison  my 
existence  in  the  happy  region  of  the  West." 

The  voice  ceased,  Rameses  ordered  to  bring  a  light.  One 
door  of  the  room  was  closed,  at  the  other  a  guard  stood.  No 
stranger  could  enter  there. 

Anger  and  alarm  tore  the  pharaoh' s  heart.  u  What  was 
that?  Had  the  shade  of  his  father  spoken  indeed  to  him,  or 
was  that  voice  only  a  new  priestly  trick?" 

But  if  the  priests,  notwithstanding  thick  walls,  could  speak 
to  him  from  a  distance,  they  could  overhear  him.  And  then  he, 
the  lord  of  the  world,  was  like  a  wild  beast  caged  in  on  all  sides. 

It  is  true  that  in  the  palace  of  the  pharaoh  secret  listening 
was  common.  Rameses  had  thought,  however,  that  his  cabinet 
was  safe,  and  that  the  insolence  of  priests  had  stopped  at  the 
threshold  of  the  supreme  ruler. 

44  But  if  that  was  a  spirit?  " 

He  did  not  wish  to  sup,  but  betook  himself  to  rest.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  he  could  not  sleep ;  but  weariness  won  the 
victory  over  irritation. 

In  a  few  hours  bells  and  a  light  woke  him.  It  was  midnight 
and  the  astrologer  priest  came  to  make  a  report  on  the  position 
of  the  heavenly  bodies.  The  pharaoh  heard  the  report,  and  said 
at  the  end  of  it,  — 

"Couldst  thou,  revered  prophet,  make  thy  report  to  the 
worthy  Sem  hereafter?  He  is  my  substitute  in  matters  touch 
ing  religion." 

The  astrologer  wondered  greatly  at  the  indifference  of  his 
lord  to  affair?  of  the  heavens. 


500  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Art  thou  pleased,  holiness,"  inquired  he,  "  to  refuse  those 
indications  which  the  stars  give  to  rulers?" 

"Do  they  give  them?  "  asked  the  pharaoh.  "  Tell  what  they 
promise  me." 

Clearly  the  astrologer  had  looked  for  the  question,  so  he 
answered  directly,  — 

"  The  horizon  is  darkened  for  the  moment.  The  lord  of  light 
has  not  come  yet  to  the  road  of  truth  which  leads  to  knowledge 
of  the  divine  will.  But  sooner  or  later  he  will  find  both  long  life 
and  a  happy  reign  filled  with  glory." 

"Aha!  I  thank  thee,  holy  man.  And  as  soon  as  I  know 
what  to  seek  I  will  accommodate  myself  to  the  indication.  But 
again  I  beg  thee  to  communicate  henceforth  with  the  holy  Sem. 
He  is  my  substitute,  but  shouldst  thou  read  anything  in  the 
stars  thou  wilt  tell  me  of  it  in  the  morning." 

The  priest  left  the  bedchamber  shaking  his  head. 

"They  have  roused  me  from  sleep!"  said  Rameses,  dis 
satisfied. 

"  An  hour  ago  Queen  Nikotris,  most  greatly  to  be  revered, 
commanded  me,  holiness,  to  ask  of  thee  an  interview,"  said  an 
adjutant,  suddenly. 

"  Now?     At  midnight?  "  asked  the  pharaoh. 

"  Her  exact  words  were  that  at  midnight  thou  wouldst  wake, 
holiness." 

The  pharaoh  meditated,  then  answered'  the  adjutant  that  he 
would  wait  for  the  queen  in  the  golden  hall.  He  thought  that 
there  no  one  could  overhear  them. 

Rameses  threw  a  mantle  over  his  shoulders,  put  on  sandals 
unfastened  and  commanded  to  light  the  golden  hall  brightly. 
Then  he  went  out,  directing  the  servants  not  to  go  with  him. 

He  found  Nikotris  in  the  hall;  she  was  wearing  coarse 
linen  garments  in  sign  that  she  was  mourning.  When  she 
saw  the  pharaoh  she  wished  to  drop  on  her  knees,  but  her  son 
raised  the  queen  and  embraced  her. 

"  Has  something  important  happened,  mother,  that  thou  art 
working  at  this  hour?  "  inquired  Rameses. 

"  I  was  not  asleep  —  I  was  praying,"  replied  the  queen. 
"  O  my  son,  thou  hast  divined  wisely  that  the  affair  is  import 
ant.  I  have  heard  the  sacred  voice  of  thy  father." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  501 

"  Indeed !"  said  the  pharaoh,  feeling  that  anger  was  filling 
him. 

"Thy  ever-living  father,"  continued  the  queen,  "told  me, 
full  of  sadness,  that  thou  wert  entering  on  a  way  of  error. 
Thou  refusest  with  contempt  the  ordination  of  high  priest,  and 
treatest  badly  the  servants  of  divinity." 

"  4  Who  will  remain  with  Rameses,'  said  thy  father,  ( if  he 
angers  the  gods  and  the  priests  desert  him?  Tell  him — tell 
him/  repeated  the  revered  shade,  '  that  in  this  way  he  will  ruin 
Egypt,  himself,  and  the  dynasty.' " 

"Oho!"  said  the  pharaoh,  "then  they  threaten  me  thus 
from  the  first  day  of  my  reign.  My  mother,  a  dog  barks 
loudest  when  he  is  afraid ;  so  threats  are  of  evil  omen,  but  only 
for  the  priesthood." 

"  But  thy  father  said  this,"  repeated  the  anxious  lady. 

"My  immortal  father  and  my  holy  grandfather,"  said  the 
pharaoh,  "  being  pure  spirits  know  my  heart,  and  see  the  wo- 
ful  condition  of  Egypt.  But  since  my  heart  wishes  to  raise 
the  state  by  stopping  abuses  they  would  not  prevent  me  from 
carrying  out  my  measures." 

"Then  dost  thou  not  believe  that  the  spirit  of  thy  father 
gives  thee  counsel?"  asked  the  queen,  with  rising  terror. 

"  I  know  not.  But  I  have  the  right  to  suppose  that  those 
voices  of  spirits,  which  are  heard  in  various  corners  of  our  palace, 
are  some  trick  of  the  priesthood.  Only  priests  can  fear  me, 
never  the  gods,  and  spirits.  Therefore  it  is  not  spirits  which 
are  frightening  us,  mother." 

The  queen  fell  to  thinking  ;  it  was  clear  that  her  son's  words 
impressed  her.  She  had  seen  many  miracles  in  her  life  and 
some  of  them  had  seemed  to  her  suspicious. 

"  In  that  case,"  said  she,  with  a  sigh,  "  thou  art  not  cautious, 
my  son.  This  afternoon  Herhor  visited  me ;  he  was  very  much 
dissatisfied  with  the  audience.  He  said  that  it  was  thy  wish  to 
remove  the  priests  from  thy  court." 

"But  of  what  use  are  priests  to  me?  Are  they  to  cause 
great  outgo  in  my  kitchen  and  cellar?  Or,  perhaps,  to  hear 
what  I  say,  and  see  what  I  do?" 

"The  whole  country  will  revolt,"  interrupted  the  queen,  "if 
the  priests  declare  that  thou  art  an  unbeliever." 


502  THE    PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST 

"  The  country  is  in  revolt  now.  But  the  priests  are  the  cause 
of  it,"  replied  the  pharaoh.  "And  touching  the  devotion  of 
the  Egyptian  people  I  begin  to  have  another  idea.  If  thou  knew, 
mother,  how  many  lawsuits  there  are  in  Lower  Egypt  for  insults 
to  the  gods,  and  in  Upper  Egypt  for  robbing  the  dead,  thou 
wouldst  be  convinced  that  for  our  people  the  cause  of  the  priests 
has  ceased  to  be  holy." 

"  This  is  through  the  influence  of  foreigners,  especially  Phoe 
nicians,  who  are  flooding  Egypt,"  cried  the  lady. 

"All  one  through  whose  influence;  enough  that  Egypt  no 
longer  considers  either  statues  or  priests  as  superhuman.  And 
wert  thou,  mother,  to  hear  the  nobility,  the  officers,  the  warriors 
talk,  thou  wouldst  understand  that  the  time  has  come  to  put  the 
power  of  the  pharaoh  in  the  place  of  priestly  power,  unless  all 
power  is  to  fall  in  this  country." 

"Egypt  is  thine,"  sighed  the  queen.  "Thy  wisdom  is  un 
common,  so  do  as  may  please  thee.  But  act  thou  with  caution 
—  oh,  with  caution !  A  scorpion  even  when  killed  may  still 
wound  an  unwary  conqueror." 

They  embraced  and  the  pharaoh  returned  to  his  bedchamber. 
But,  in  truth,  he  could  not  sleep  that  time. 

He  understood  clearly  that  between  him  and  the  priesthood 
a  struggle  had  begun,  or  rather  something  repulsive  which 
did  not  even  deserve  the  name  struggle,  and  which  at  the  first 
moment  he,  the  leader,  could  not  manage.  For  where  was  the 
enemy?  Against  whom  was  his  faithful  army  to  show  itself? 
Was  it  against  the  priests  who  fell  on  their  faces  before  him? 
Or  against  the  stars  which  said  that  the  pharaoh  had  not  entered 
yet  on  the  true  way?  What  and  whom  was  he  to  vanquish? 
Was  it,  perhaps,  those  voices  of  spirits  which  were  raised  amid 
darkness  ?  Or  was  it  his  own  mother,  who  begged  him  in  terror 
not  to  dismiss  priests  from  state  offices? 

The  pharaoh  writhed  on  his  bed  while  feeling  his  helplessness. 
Suddenly  the  thought  came  to  him  :  "  What  care  I  for  an  enemy 
which  yields  like  mud  in  a  hand  grasp?  Let  them  talk  in 
empty  halls,  let  them  be  angry  at  my  godlessness.  I  will 
issue  orders,  and  whoso  will  not  carry  them  out  is  my  enemy ; 
against  him  I  will  turn  courts,  police,  and  warriors." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST  503 


CHAPTER   LIII 

SO  in  the  month  Hator,  after  thirty-four  years  of  rule,  died 
the  Pharaoh  Mer-Amen-Rameses  XII.,  the  ruler  of  two 
worlds,    the   lord   of   eternity,    the   giver   of    life    and    every 
happiness. 

He  died  because  he  felt  that  his  body  was  growing  weak  and 
useless.  He  died  because  he  was  yearning  for  his  eternal 
home  and  he  wished  to  confide  the  cares  of  earthly  rule  to 
hands  that  were  more  youthful.  Finally  he  died  because  he 
wished  to  die,  for  such  was  his  will.  His  divine  spirit  flew 
away,  like  a  falcon  which,  circling  for  a  time  above  the  earth, 
vanishes  at  last  in  blue  expanses. 

As  his  life  had  been  the  sojourn  of  an  immortal  in  the  region 
of  evanescence,  his  death  was  merely  one  among  moments  in 
the  existence  of  the  superhuman. 

Rameses  XII.  woke  about  sunrise;  leaning  on  two  prophets, 
surrounded  by  a  chorus  of  priests,  he  went  to  the  chapel  of 
Osiris.  There,  as  usual,  he  resurrected  the  divinity,  washed 
and  dressed  it,  made  offerings,  and  raised  his  hands  in  prayer. 
Meanwhile  the  priests  sang  : 

Chorus  I.  ' '  Honor  to  thee  who  raisest  thyself  on  the  horizon 
and  coursest  across  the  sky." 

Chorus  II.  "The  pathway  of  thy  sacredness  is  the  prosper 
ity  of  those  on  whose  faces  thy  rays  fall." 

Chorus  I.  "Would  that  I  might  go  as  thou  goest,  O  sun! 
without  halting." 

Chorus  II.  "  Mighty  wanderer  in  space,  thou  who  hast  no 
lord,  for  thee  hundreds  of  millions  of  years  are  merely  the 
twinkle  of  an  eye." 

Chorus  I.  "Thou  gcest  down,  but  endurest.  Thou  multi- 
pliest  hours,  days,  and  nights,  and  remainest  in  solitude  accord 
ing  to  thy  own  laws." 

Chorus  II.  "Thou  dost  illumine  the  earth,  offering  thy  own 
self  with  thy  own  hands,  when  under  the  form  of  Ra  thou 
comest  up  on  the  horizon." 


504  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Chorus  I.  "  O  star,  emerging  great,  through  thy  light,  thou 
thyself  formest  thy  own  limbs." 

Chorus  II.  "  And,  not  begotten  of  any,  thou  givest  birth  to 
thyself  on  the  horizon."  l 

At  this  point  the  pharaoh  spoke : 

"  O  thou  radiant  in  the  heavens  !  Permit  that  I  enter  eter 
nity.  Let  me  join  the  revered  and  perfect  shadows  of  the 
upper  land.  Let  me,  together  with  them,  behold  thy  rays  in 
the  morning,  and  in  the  evening,  when  thou  joinest  thy  mother 
Nut.  And  when  thou  turnest  thy  face  to  the  West  let  my 
hands  join  while  praying  in  honor  of  life,  which  is  going  to 
sleep  beyond  the  mountains."  2 

Thus  spoke  the  pharaoh  with  upraised  hands,  surrounded  by 
a  cloud  of  incense.  All  at  once  he  ceased,  and  dropped  into 
the  arms  of  the  priests  behind  him. 

He  was  no  longer  living. 

Intelligence  of  the  pharaoh's  death  flew  through  the  palace 
like  lightning.  Servants  left  their  occupations,  overseers 
ceased  to  watch  over  their  slaves,  the  guard  was  roused ;  all 
entrances  were  occupied. 

In  the  main  court  a  throng  began  to  gather  ;  cooks,  cellarers, 
equerries,  women  of  his  holiness,  and  their  children.  Some 
inquired  :  u  Is  this  true?"  Others  wondered  that  the  sun  shone 
in  heaven,  but  all  cried  at  once  in  heaven-piercing  voices,  — 

"  O  our  lord !  O  our  father !  O  beloved !  Can  it  be  that 
thou  hast  gone  from  us?  Oh  it  is  true,  he  is  going  to  Abydos ! 
To  the  West,  to  the  West,  to  the  land  of  the  just  ones!  The 
place  which  thou  hast  loved  groans  and  weeps  for  thee  !  "  3 

Terrible  uproar  was  heard  throughout  all  the  courts,  through 
out  the  whole  park.  It  was  echoed  from  the  eastern  hills,  on 
the  wings  of  the  wind  it  flew  across  the  Nile,  and  disturbed 
the  city  of  Memphis. 

Meanwhile,  the  priests,  amid  prayers,  placed  the  body  of  the 
deceased  in  a  rich  closed  litter.  Eight  stood  at  the  poles  of  the 
litter ;  four  took  ostrich  feather  fans  in  their  hands,  others 
censers,  and  they  prepared  to  go  forth. 

At   this  moment  Queen   Nikotris  ran  in,    and,    seeing   the 

1  Authentic  hymn.  2  Authentic.  *  Authentic. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  505 

remains  in   the  litter,  threw  herself    at   the  feet  of  the  dead 
pharaoh. 

"  O  my  husband  !  O  my  brother  !  O  my  beloved!  "  cried 
she,  carried  away  with  weeping.  "  O  beloved,  remain  with  us, 
remain  in  thy  house,  withdraw  not  from  this  place  on  earth  in 
which  thou  art  dwelling !  " 

4 'In  peace,  in  peace,  to  the  West,"  sang  the  priests.  "O 
mighty  sovereign,  go  in  peace  to  the  West." 

"Misfortune,"  said  the  queen,  "thou  art  hastening  to  the 
ferry  to  pass  to  the  other  shore !  O  priests,  O  prophets,  hasten 
not,  leave  him  ;  for  ye  will  return  to  your  houses,  but  he  will 
go  to  the  land  of  eternity." 

"  In  peace,  in  peace  to  the  West,"  sang  the  priestly  chorus. 
"  If  it  please  the  god,  when  the  day  of  eternity  comes,  we  shall 
see  thee,  O  sovereign !  For  now  thou  art  going  to  the  land 
which  brings  all  men  together." l 

At  a  sign  given  by  the  worthy  Herhor,  the  attendants 
drew  the  queen  from  the  feet  of  the  pharaoh,  and  led  her  by 
force  to  her  chambers. 

The  litter,  borne  by  priests,  moved  on,  and  in  it  the  sov 
ereign,  dressed  and  surrounded,  as  if  living.  On  the  right, 
and  on  the  left,  before  and  behind  him,  went  generals,  treas 
urers,  judges,  chief  scribes,  the  bearers  of  the  mace  and  the 
bow,  and  above  all  a  throng  of  priests  of  various  dignities. 

In  the  courtyard,  the  servants  fell  on  their  faces,  groaning 
and  weeping,  but  the  troops  presented  arms  and  the  trumpets 
sounded,  as  if  to  greet  a  living  pharaoh. 

Between  Memphis  and  the  "Tableland  of  Mummies,"  lay 
a  peculiar  division  of  the  city.  All  its  buildings  were  devoted 
to  the  dead,  and  it  was  inhabited  only  by  dissectors  and 
embalmers. 

This  division  was  the  forecourt  as  it  were,  of  the  cemetery 
proper,  the  bridge  which  joined  living  society  with  the  city  of 
endless  rest.  To  this  place  were  brought  corpses,  and  mum 
mies  were  made  of  them ;  here  families  stipulated  with  priests, 
touching  the  cost  of  funerals.  Here  were  prepared  sacred 
books  and  bandages,  coffins,  implements,  vessels,  and  statues 
for  the  departed. 

1  Authentic. 


506  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

This  district  was  a  couple  of  thousand  yards  from  Mem 
phis.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  long  wall  provided  with  gates 
here  and  there. 

The  retinue  bearing  the  remains  of  the  pharaoh  halted 
before  the  richest  gate,  and  one  of  the  priests  knocked  at  it. 

"Who  is  there?"  inquired  those  within. 

"  Osiris-Mer-Amen-Rameses,  the  lord  of  two  worlds,  has 
come  and  desires  that  ye  prepare  him  for  his  eternal  journey," 
replied  the  priests. 

"Is  it  possible  that  he,  the  sun  of  Egypt,  is  quenched? 
That  he  is  dead  who  himself  was  breath  and  life?  " 

4 'Such  was  his  will,"  answered  a  priest.  "Receive,  then, 
the  lord  with  due  honor  and  render  all  service  to  him,  as  is 
befitting,  lest  punishments  meet  you  in  this  and  the  coming 
life." 

"  We  will  do  as  ye  say,"  said  a  voice  from  within. 

The  priests  left  the  litter,  and  went  away  hurriedly,  so 
that  the  evil  odor  of  remains  accumulated  in  that  place  should 
not  fall  on  them.  Only  civil  officials  under  the  lead  of  the 
supreme  judge  and  treasurer  remained  there. 

After  they  had  waited  a  considerable  time,  the  gate  opened, 
and  from  ten  to  twenty  persons  showed  themselves.  They  wore 
priestly  garments  and  their  faces  were  covered. 

"  We  give  you,"  said  the  judges,  on  seeing  them,  "  the  body  of 
our  lord  and  yours.  Do  with  it  what  the  rules  of  religion 
enjoin,  and  omit  nothing,  so  that  the  great  deceased  may  not 
experience  unquiet  in  that  world  through  your  fault." 

The  treasurer  added,  — 

"  Use  gold,  silver,  malachite,  jasper,  emerald,  turquoise,  and 
the  most  rare  kinds  of  incenses  for  this  lord,  so  that  nothing 
be  lacking  that  he  may  have  whatever  is  best.  I,  the  treasurer, 
say  this  to  you.  And  if  the  wretch  should  be  found  who, 
instead  of  noble  metals,  gives  counterfeit,  and  instead  of  gen 
uine  stones,  gives  Phoenician  glass,  let  him  remember  that  his 
hands  will  be  cut  off  and  his  eyes  dug  out." 

"  It  will  be  as  ye  wish,"  replied  one  of  the  veiled  priests. 

Others  raised  the  litter  and  bore  it  to  the  interior  of  the  dis 
trict  of  the  dead. 

"Thou  art  going  in  peace  to  Abydos!     Mayst  thou  go  in 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  507 

peace  to  the  Theban  West.  To  the  West,  to  the  West,  to  the 
laud  of  the  just  ones  !  " 

The  gate  closed,  the  supreme  judge,  the  treasurer,  and  the 
officials  accompanying  them  returned  to  the  palace. 

The  hooded  priests  bore  the  litter  to  an  immense  building 
where  only  the  remains  of  pharaohs  were  embalmed,  or  those 
of  high  dignitaries  who  had  gained  the  exceptional  favor  of  a 
pharaoh. 

The  priests  stopped  in  the  antechamber,  where  stood  the 
golden  boat  on  wheels,  and  took  the  corpse  from  the  litter. 

44  Look  ye!  "  cried  one  of  the  cowled  priests,  "  are  they  not 
criminals?  The  pharaoh  died  in  the  chapel  of  Osiris,  so  he 
must  have  been  in  ceremonial  costume,  while  here  —  oh !  — 
instead  of  gold  ornaments—  bronze;  the  chain  is  bronze,  too, 
and  on  his  breast  false  jewels !  " 

"True,"  said  another.  "I  am  curious  to  know  who  fitted 
him  out  thus  :  priests,  or  scribes?  " 

44  Surely  priests.  Oh,  would  that  your  hands  withered,  ye 
scoundrels  !  And  some  wretch  —  they  are  all  such  —  dared 
command  us  to  give  the  deceased  what  was  best." 

44  It  was  not  they,  but  the  treasurer." 

44  They  are  all  rogues." 

Thus  discoursing,  the  embalmers  took  from  the  deceased  his 
garments  of  a  pharaoh,  put  on  him  a  gown  of  cloth  of  gold  and 
bore  the  remains  to  the  boat. 

"Thanks  to  the  gods,"  said  one  of  the  cowled  men,  '*  we 
have  a  new  pharaoh.  He  will  bring  the  priests  to  order. 
What  they  have  taken  with  their  hands  they  will  bring  back 
with  their  mouths." 

44Uuu!  —  they  say  that  he  will  be  a  shrewd  ruler,"  put  in 
another.  4'He  is  friendly  with  the  Phoenicians;  he  passes 
time  willingly  with  Pentuer,  who  is  not  of  priestly  family,  but 
of  such  poor  people  as  we.  But  the  army,  they  say  the  army 
would  let  itself  be  burnt  and  drowned  for  the  new  pharaoh." 

44  Besides,  he  conquered  the  Libyans  most  gloriously  a  few 
days  ago." 

44  Where  is  he  now,  that  new  pharaoh?"  asked  another. 
"  In  the  desert?  I  am  afraid  that  misfortune  may  meet  him 
before  he  comes  back  to  us." 


508  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  What  will  any  one  do  to  him  when  he  has  an  army  behind 
him  ?  May  I  not  live  to  an  honest  burial  if  the  young  lord  will 
not  treat  the  priests  as  a  buffalo  treats  growing  wheat." 

"O  thou  fool!"  interrupted  an  embalmer  who  had  been 
silent  till  that  moment.  "  The  pharaoh  conquer  the  priests !  " 

"Why  not?" 

4 '  But  hast  thou  ever  seen  that  a  lion  tore  down  a  pyramid  ?  " 

"  Nonsense!  " 

"  Or  that  a  buffalo  tossed  it  apart?  " 

"  Of  course  he  cannot  toss  it." 

"  Or  that  a  tempest  overturned  it." 

"  What  has  this  man  begun  at  to-day  ?  " 

"Well,  I  tell  thee  that  sooner  will  a  lion,  a  buffalo,  or  a 
tempest  overturn  the  great  pyramid  than  the  pharaoh  put  an 
end  to  the  priesthood.  Even  if  that  pharaoh  were  a  lion,  a 
buffalo,  and  a  tempest  in  one  person." 

"  Hei  ye,  there!  "  cried  men  from  above.  "  Is  the  corpse 
ready?" 

"  Yes,  yes ;  but  its  jaw  has  fallen,"  answered  they  at  the 
entrance. 

"All  one — give  it  up  here,  for  Isis  must  go  to  the  city  an 
hour  from  now." 

After  a  while  the  golden  boat  with  the  dead  pharaoh  was 
raised  by  means  of  ropes  to  an  internal  balcony. 

From  the  entrance  it  went  into  a  great  hall,  painted  in  the 
color  of  the  sky,  and  ornamented  with  golden  stars.  Through 
the  whole  length  of  the  hall,  from  one  wall  to  the  other,  was 
fixed  a  balcony  in  the  form  of  an  arch  the  ends  of  which  were 
one  story  high  and  the  centre  a  story  and  a  half. 

The  hall  represented  the  dome  of  heaven,  the  balcony  the 
road  of  the  sun  in  the  sky.  The  late  pharaoh  was  to  represent 
Osiris,  or  the  sun,  which  passes  from  the  east  to  the  west. 

On  the  pavement  of  the  hall  stood  a  throng  of  priests  and 
priestesses  who,  while  waiting  for  the  solemnity,  conversed 
about  indifferent  subjects. 

"  Ready!  "  cried  they  from  the  balcony. 

Conversation  ceased.  Above  was  heard  the  sound  of  a 
metal  plate  beaten  thrice  —  and  on  the  balcony  appeared  the 
golden  boat  of  the  sun  in  which  the  late  pharaoh  was  advancing. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  509 

Below  sounded  the  hymn  in  honor  of  the  sun : 

"  Behold  he  appears  in  a  cloud  to  separate  the  sky  from  the 
earth,  and  later  to  connect  them. 

u  Hidden  unceasingly  in  all  things,  he  alone  lives,  in  him 
all  things  exist  through  eternity." 

The  boat  moved  gradually  upward  on  the  balcony ;  finally  it 
halted  at  the  highest  point. 

Then  at  the  lower  end  of  the  arch  appeared  a  priestess, 
arrayed  as  the  goddess  Isis,  with  her  son  Horus,  and  with  equal 
slowness  she  began  to  ascend.  That  was  an  image  of  the 
moon,  which  follows  the  sun. 

Now  the  boat  from  the  top  of  the  arch  began  to  go  toward 
the  west,  and  the  chorus  below  sang  again  : 

"The  god  incarnate  in  all  things,  the  spirit  of  Shu  in  all 
gods.  He  is  the  body  of  a  living  person,  the  creator  of  the 
tree  which  bears  fruit,  the  causer  of  fertilizing  overflows. 
Without  him  nothing  lives  in  the  earthly  circle."  l 

The  boat  vanished  at  the  western  termination  of  the  balcony, 
Isis  and  Horus  stopped  at  the  summit  of  the  arch.  A  crowd 
of  priests  ran  to  the  boat,  took  out  the  corpse  of  the  pharaoh 
and  placed  it  on  a  marble  table,  as  Osiris  to  rest  after  his  toils 
of  the  day. 

Now  to  the  dead  man  came  the  dissector,  dressed  as  the  god 
Typhon.  On  his  head  were  a  horrid  mask  and  a  red  tangled 
wig,  on  his  shoulders  the  skin  of  a  wild  boar,  and  in  his  hand 
an  Ethiopian  stone  knife. 

With  this  knife  he  began  quickly  to  cut  off  the  soles  of  the 
dead  pharaoh's  sandals. 

"  What  art  thou  doing,  O  Typhon,  to  thy  sleeping  brother?  " 
asked  Isis  from  the  balcony. 

"  I  am  scraping  the  feet  of  my  brother  Osiris,  so  that  he 
may  not  befoul  heaven  with  earthly  dust,"  replied  the  dissector 
dressed  as  Typhon. 

When  he  had  cut  off  the  soles,  the  dissector  took  a  bent  wire, 
thrust  it  into  the  nostrils  of  the  deceased  and  began  to  extract 
his  brains.  Next  he  made  an  opening  in  his  body,  and  through 
that  opening  drew  out  quickly  the  heart,  lungs,  and  viscera. 

During  this  time  the  assistants  of  Typhon  brought  four  great 
1  Authentic  hymn. 


510  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

urns  adorned  with  the  heads  of  the  gods  Hape,  Emset,  Duamut 
and  Quebhsneuf,  and  in  each  of  those  urns  he  placed  some 
internal  organ  of  the  deceased  pharaoh. 

"But  what  art  thou  doing,  O  brother  Typhon?"  inquired 
Isis  a  second  time. 

"  I  am  purifying  my  brother  Osiris  of  earthly  things,  so  that 
he  may  become  more  beautiful/'  replied  the  dissector. 

At  the  side  of  the  marble  table  was  a  vat  of  water  with  soda 
in  solution.  The  dissectors,  when  they  had  cleaned  the  body, 
put  it  into  the  vat  where  it  was  to  soak  seventy  days. 

Meanwhile  Isis,  when  she  had  passed  over  the  entire  vault, 
approached  the  chamber  where  the  dissectors  had  cleaned  the 
pharaoh's  body.  She  looked  at  the  marble  table,  and,  seeing 
that  it  was  empty,  inquired  in  terror,  — 

"  Where  is  my  brother?     Where  is  my  divine  consort?  " 

Thereupon  thunder  roared,  trumpets  and  bronze  plates 
sounded ;  the  dissector  disguised  as  Typhon  burst  into 
laughter,  and  cried,  — 

"  O  beautiful  Isis,  who  in  company  with  the  stars  delightest 
the  night,  thy  consort  exists  not.  Never  again  will  the  radiant 
Osiris  sit  in  the  golden  boat,  never  again  will  that  sun  appear 
on  the  firmament.  I  have  done  this,  I,  Set,  and  I  have  hidden 
him  so  deeply  that  none  of  the  gods,  nor  all  the  gods  together 
will  find  him." 

At  these  words  the  goddess  rent  her  garments,  she  groaned 
and  tore  her  hair.  Again  sounded  trumpets,  thunder,  and 
plates  ;  among  the  priests  and  priestesses  an  uproar  began, 
then  shouting  and  curses.  Suddenly  all  rushed  at  Typhon 
crying,  — 

"  Cursed  spirit  of  darkness  !  Thou  rousest  the  whirlwinds  of 
the  desert,  thou  rousest  the  sea,  darkenest  the  light  of  day ! 
Mayst  thou  fall  into  the  pit  from  which  the  father  of  the  gods 
himself  could  not  free  thee.  Cursed !  Cursed  Set !  May  thy 
name  be  a  disgust  and  a  terror !  " 

While  cursing  in  this  way  they  all  attacked  Typhon  with  fists 
and  clubs ;  the  red-haired  god  fled,  and  rushed  at  last  out  of  the 
building. 

Again  the  bronze  plates  sounded  thrice,  and  the  solemnity 
was  ended. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  511 

l'  Well,  that  is  enough ! "  cried  the  senior  priest  to  the 
assembly  which  had  begun  to  tight  in  earnest.  "Thou,  Isis, 
mayest  return  to  the  city,  but  the  rest  of  us  must  go  to  other 
departed  ones  who  are  waiting  for  our  services.  We  must  not 
neglect  the  ordinary  dead,  for  it  is  unknown  how  much  they  will 
pay  us  for  this  one.  " 

"  Not  much  indeed  !  "  interrupted  the  enibalmer.  "People  say 
that  there  is  nothing  in  the  treasury,  while  the  Phoenicians 
threaten  to  cease  lending  unless  new  rights  are  given  them." 

uMay  death  destroy  all  those  Phoenicians!  Soon  a  man  will 
be  forced  to  beg  a  barley  cake  of  them ;  even  now  they  have 
snatched  away  everything." 

44  But  unless  they  lend  the  pharaoh  money  we  shall  get 
nothing  for  the  funeral." 

Conversation  ceased  gradually,  and  those  present  left  the 
heavenly  hall.  Only  at  the  vat  where  the  body  of  the  pharaoh 
lay  steeping  was  a  guard  left. 

All  this  solemnity,  representing  the  legend  of  the  slaying  of 
Osiris  (the  sun)  by  Typhon  (the  god  of  night  and  crime), 
served  to  open  and  clean  the  body  of  the  pharaoh,  and  in  this 
way  prepare  it  for  the  embalming  proper. 

During  seventy  days  the  departed  must  lie  in  a  solution  of 
soda,  in  memory,  it  seems,  of  this,  that  the  wicked  Typhon  had 
sunk  the  body  of  his  brother  in  the  Soda  Lakes.  During  all 
these  days  a  priestess,  dressed  as  Isis,  came  to  the  heavenly  hall, 
morning  and  evening.  There,  groaning  and  tearing  her  hair, 
she  inquired  of  all  present  whether  any  one  had  seen  her  divine 
consort  and  brother. 

At  the  expiration  of  that  time  of  mourning,  Horns,  the  son 
and  heir  of  Osiris,  with  his  suite  appeared  in  the  hall,  and  they 
were  the  first  to  see  the  vat  with  the  solution. 

"  Might  we  look  here  for  the  remains  of  my  father  and 
brother?"  asked  Horus. 

So  they  searched  and  found ;  amid  the  immense  delight  of 
the  priests,  with  sounds  of  music,  they  removed  the  body  of 
the  pharaoh  from  the  strengthening  bath. 

The  body  was  put  into  a  stone  cylinder  through  which  passed 
a  hot  breeze  for  a  number  of  days,  and,  when  the  body  was 
dried  they  gave  it  to  the  embalmers. 


512  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Now  began  the  most  important  ceremonies,  which  were  per 
formed  by  the  supreme  priests  of  the  court  of  the  dead  : 

The  body  of  the  departed,  turned  head  southward,  they 
washed  with  consecrated  water  and  the  interior  with  palm  wine. 
On  the  pavement,  which  was  sprinkled  with  ashes,  sat  wailing 
women  who  tore  their  hair  and  scratched  their  faces ;  they 
bewailed  the  late  pbaraoh.  Around  the  couch  where  the  body 
lay  were  assembled  priests  dressed  as  gods.  These  were  Isis 
naked  with  a  crown  of  the  pharaohs,  the  youthful  Horus, 
Anubis  with  a  jackal  head,  bird-headed  Tot  with  tablets  in 
his  hands,  and  many  others. 

Under  the  inspection  of  this  worthy  assembly,  specialists 
began  to  fill  the  body  with  strongly  odorous  plants  and  sawdust, 
they  even  poured  in  odorous  resin,  all  amid  prayers.  Then  in 
his  eye-sockets  they  inserted  glass  eyes  set  in  bronze.  After 
that  the  whole  body  was  sprinkled  with  powdered  soda. 

Another  priest  appeared  now  who  explained  to  those  present 
that  the  body  of  the  departed  was  the  body  of  Osiris,  that  his 
qualities  were  the  qualities  of  Osiris.  "  The  magic  qualities  of 
his  left  temple  are  the  qualities  of  the  god  Turn  and  his  right 
eye  is  the  eye  of  the  god  Turn,  whose  rays  pierce  through  dark 
ness.  His  left  eye  is  the  eye  of  Horus,  which  dazzles  every 
living  creature  ;  the  upper  lip  that  of  Isis,  and  the  lower  that  of 
Nefthys.  The  neck  of  the  departed  is  the  goddess,  his  hands 
are  divine  spirits,  his  fingers  the  heavenly  serpents,  sons  of  the 
goddess  Setkit.  His  sides  are  the  two  feathers  of  Amon,  his 
back  the  backbone  of  Sib,  his  belly  is  the  good  Nue."  l 

Another  priest  spoke,  — 

"  A  mouth  was  given  me  for  speaking,  feet  for  walking, 
hands  to  overturn  my  enemies.  I  rise  from  the  dead,  I  exist,  I 
open  heaven ;  I  do  what  has  been  commanded  me  in  Memphis."  2 

Meanwhile  on  the  neck  of  the  departed  they  hung  a  scarab 
made  of  a  precious  stone,  on  which  was  this  inscription  :  "  O 
my  heart,  heart  which  I  received  from  my  mother,  which  I  had 
when  I  was  on  earth,  O  heart  do  not  rise  against  me  and  do  not 
give  evil  witness  in  the  day  of  judgment." 3 

Next  priests  wound  around  each  arm  and  foot,  each  finger 
and  toe  of  the  dead,  strips  on  which  were  written  prayers  and 
1  Maspero.  2  Authentic.  3  Authentic. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  513 

spells.  Those  strips  they  fastened  with  gum  and  balsam.  On 
the  breast  and  on  the  neck  they  placed  complete  manuscripts 
of  the  Book  of  the  Dead  with  the  following  meditations  which 
the  priests  read  aloud  over  the  body,  — 

tk  I  am  he  before  whom  no  god  puts  an  obstacle. 

44  Who  is  that? 

"  He  is  Turn  on  his  shield,  he  is  Ra  on  his  shield,  which  rises 
in  the  east  of  heaven. 

44 1  am  Yesterday  and  I  know  To-morrow. 

4 'Who  is  he? 

44  Yesterday  is  Osiris,  To-morrow  is  Ra  on  the  day  when  he 
annihilates  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  who  is  above  all  and  when 
he  consecrates  his  sou  Horus.  In  other  words,  in  the  day 
when  his  father  Ra  meets  the  coffin  of  Osiris.  He  conquers 
the  gods  at  command  of  Osiris,  the  lord  of  the  mountain 
Amenti. 

"  What  is  that? 

44  Amenti  is  a  creation  of  the  soul  of  the  gods,  at  command 
of  Osiris,  the  lord  of  the  mountain. 

"  In  other  words,  Amenti  is  that  impulse  roused  by  Ra. 
Every  god  who  arrives  there  carries  011  a  battle.  I  know  the 
great  god  who  dwells  there. 

44 1  am  from  my  country,  I  come  from  my  city,  I  destroy  evil, 
I  set  aside  that  which  is  not  good,  I  remove  uncleanness  from 
myself,  I  betake  myself  to  the  country  of  dwellers  in  heaven,  I 
enter  through  the  mighty  gate. 

"  O  ye  comrades,  give  me  a  hand,  for  I  shall  be  one  of 
you."  l 

When  every  member  of  the  departed  was  covered  with 
prayer  bandages,  and  furnished  with  amulets,  when  he  had  a 
sufficient  supply  of  meditations  to  find  the  way  in  the  region 
of  the  gods,  it  was  proper  to  think  of  a  document  which  would 
open  the  gate  of  that  region.  For  between  the  tomb  and 
heaven  forty-two  terrible  judges  were  waiting  for  the  dead  man ; 
these,  under  presidency  of  Osiris,  examined  his  earthly  life. 
Only  when  the  heart  of  the  departed,  weighed  in  the  scales  of 
justice,  appeared  equal  to  the  goddess  of  truth,  when  the  god 
Dutes,  who  writes  on  his  tablets  the  deeds  of  the  dead,  con- 
i  "  Book  of  the  Dead." 
33 


514  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

sidered  it  just,  only  then  did  Horus  take  the  soul  by  the  hand 
and  lead  it  before  the  throne  of  Osiris. 

So  that  the  deiid  might  be  able  to  justify  himself  before  the 
court  it  was  necessary  to  wrap  the  mummy  in  a  papyrus  on 
which  was  written  a  general  confession.  While  they  were 
winding  him  in  this  document  the  priest  spoke  clearly  and  with 
emphasis,  so  that  the  dead  might  not  forget  : 

;'  Lords  of  truth,  I  bring  thee  truth  itself.  I  have  not  done 
evil  to  any  man  treacherously.  I  have  not  made  any  one  near 
me  unfortunate.  I  have  not  permitted  myself  any  lewdness  or 
abusive  word  in  the  house  of  veracity.  I  have  had  no  intimacy 
with  evil.  I  have  committed  nothing  bad.  As  a  superior  I 
have  not  commanded  my  subordinates  to  work  beyond  their 
strength.  No  one  through  my  fault  has  become  afraid,  poor, 
suffering,  or  unhappy.  I  have  done  nothing  of  any  kind  which 
the  gods  would  despise.  I  have  not  tormented  a  slave.  I  have 
not  killed  him  with  hunger.  I  have  not  forced  tears  from  him. 
I  have  not  slain.  I  have  not  commanded  to  kill  a  slave 
treacherously.  I  have  not  lied,  I  have  not  plundered  the  prop- 
ert}7  of  temples.  I  have  not  decreased  incomes  devoted  to  the 
gods.  I  have  not  taken  away  the  bread  or  the  bandages  of 
mummies.  I  have  not  committed  sin  with  the  priest  of  my  dis 
trict.  I  have  not  taken  from  him  or  decreased  his  property. 
I  have  not  used  false  weights.  I  have  not  snatched  away  an 
infant  from  the  breast  of  its  nurse.  1  have  never  committed 
anything  bestial.  I  have  not  caught  in  nets  birds  devoted  to 
the  gods.  I  have  not  hindered  the  inundation  of  water.  I  have 
not  turned  away  the  course  of  canals.  I  have  not  quenched  fire 
at  a  time  that  was  improper,  I  have  not  stolen  from  the  gods 
offerings  which  they  had  chosen.  I  am  pure  —  I  am  pure  —  I 
am  pure. "  l 

When  the  departed  was  able,  thanks  to  the  Book  of  the  Dead 
to  help  himself  in  the  region  of  eternity,  and  above  all  when  he 
knew  how  to  justify  himself  before  the  court  of  the  forty-two 
gods,  the  priests  furnished  him  still  further  with  an  introduction 
to  this  book,  and  explained  to  him  orally  its  immense  import 
ance.  In  view  of  this  the  embalmers  who  surrounded  the  fresh 

1  "  Book  of  the  Dead."  This  is  one  of  the  loftiest  documents  left  us  by 
antiquity. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  515 

mummy   of  the  pharaoh    withdrew  and  a  high  priest    of   that 
quarter  came  and  whispered  into  the  ear  of  the  departed : 

"  Know  that  through  the  possession  of  this  book  thou 
shalt  belong  to  the  living  and  attain  to  great  significance  among 
gods.  Know  that,  thanks  to  it,  no  one  will  dare  to  oppose 
thee.  The  gods  themselves  will  approach  thee  and  embrace 
thee,  for  thou  wilt  belong  to  their  company. 

"  Know  that  this  book  informs  thee  of  what  was  at  the  begin 
ning.  No  man  has  uttered  it,  no  eye  has  seen  it,  no  ear  has  heard 
it.  This  book  is  truth  itself,  but  no  one  has  ever  known  it.  Let 
it  be  seen  only  through  thee  and  through  him  who  will  behold 
thee  in  it.  Add  to  it  no  commentary  which  thy  memory  or 
imagination  might  suggest  to  thee.  It  is  written  entirely  in  the 
hall  where  the  departed  are  embalmed.  It  is  a  great  secret 
which  no  common  man  knows,  not  one  in  the  world. 

"  This  book  will  be  thy  nourishment  in  the  lower  region  of 
spirits,  it  will  give  thy  soul  means  of  sojourn  on  the  earth,  it 
will  give  it  life  eternal,  and  effect  this,  that  no  one  will  have 
power  over  thee."  ] 

The  remains  of  the  pharaoh  were  arrayed  in  costly  garments, 
with  a  gold  mask  on  the  face,  with  bracelets  on  the  wrists,  and 
with  rings  on  the  hands,  which  were  crossed  on  the  breast. 
Under  the  head  was  put  a  support  of  ivory,  such  as  Egyptians 
were  accustomed  to  sleep  on.  Finally  the  body  was  inclosed 
in  three  coffins :  one  of  paper  covered  with  inscriptions,  one  of 
cedar  which  was  gilt,  and  one  of  marble.  The  form  of  the  first 
two  corresponded  accurately  to  the  form  of  the  body ;  even  the 
sculptured  face  was  like  the  original,  though  smiling. 

After  a  stay  of  three  months  in  the  quarter  of  the  dead  the 
mummy  of  the  pharaoh  was  ready  for  a  solemn  funeral ;  there 
fore  it  was  taken  back  to  the  palace. 


CHAPTER  LIV 

DURING  seventy  days,  in  the  course  of  which  the  revered 
remains  were  steeping  in  the  solution  of  soda,  Egypt  was 
in  mourning. 

1  "  Book  of  the  Dead." 


516  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST 

The  temples  were  closed;  there  were  no  processions.  All 
music  ceased ;  no  feasts  were  given.  Dancing  women  became 
wailers ;  instead  of  dancing  they  tore  their  hair ;  this  also 
brought  them  income. 

No  one  drank  wine,  no  one  ate  meat.  The  highest  digni 
taries  went  in  coarse  garments  and  barefoot.  No  one  shaved 
(with  the  exception  of  priests) ;  the  most  devoted  did  not  wash, 
they  smeared  their  faces  with  mud,  and  scattered  ashes  on 
their  hair. 

From  the  Mediterranean  to  the  first  cataract  of  the  Nile, 
from  the  Libyan  desert  to  the  peninsula  of  Sinai  reigned  sad 
ness  and  silence.  The  sun  of  Egypt  had  quenched,  had  gone 
to  the  West,  the  giver  of  life  and  gladness  had  deserted  his 
servants. 

In  the  highest  circles  the  most  fashionable  conversation 
touched  the  universal  sorrow,  which  was  communicated  even 
to  nature. 

"Hast  thou  not  observed,"  said  one  dignitary  to  another, 
"  that  the  days  are  shorter  and  darker?  " 

"  I  did  not  wish  to  unburden  myself  of  this  before  thee," 
replied  the  other,  "  but  it  is  so  in  reality.  I  have  even  noticed 
that  fewer  stars  shine  at  night,  and  that  the  full  moon  lasts  a 
shorter  time,  and  the  new  moon  longer  than  usual." 

"The  shepherds  say  that  cattle  at  pasture  will  not  eat,  they 
only  bellow." 

"And  I  have  heard  from  hunters  that  lions  are  reduced  by 
weeping ;  they  do  not  attack  deer,  for  lions  eat  no  meat  at 
present." 

' '  A  terrible  time  !  Come  to  me  this  evening  and  we  will 
drink  a  glass  of  mourning  liquor  which  my  cellarer  has 
invented." 

"Thou  hast,  I  suppose,  dark  beer  of  Sidon?" 

i '  May  the  gods  forbid  that  at  this  time  we  should  use 
drinks  which  rejoice  people.  The  liquor  which  my  cellarer  has 
invented  is  not  beer ;  it  is  more  like  wine  mixed  with  musk  and 
fragrant  plants." 

"A  very  proper  drink  when  our  lord  is  sojourning  in  the 
quarter  of  the  dead,  where  the  odor  of  musk  and  embalming 
herbs  is  always  prevalent." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  517 

Thus  during  seventy  days  did  dignitaries  mortify  them 
selves. 

The  first  quiver  of  delight  ran  through  Egypt  when  it  was 
announced  from  the  quarter  of  the  dead  that  the  body  of  the 
sovereign  had  been  taken  from  the  soda  bath,  and  that 
embalmers  and  priests  were  performing  ceremonies  over  it. 

That  day  for  tlie  first  time  people  cut  their  hair  and  whoso 
had  the  wish  washed  himself.  But  in  fact  there  was  no  need 
of  mortification,  since  Horus  had  found  the  remains  of  Osiris. 
The  ruler  of  Egypt,  thanks  to  the  art  of  embalmers,  had 
received  life,  and,  thanks  to  the  prayers  of  the  priests  and  the 
Book  of  the  Dead,  he  had  become  equal  to  the  gods. 

From  that  moment  on,  the  late  pharaoh,  Mer-Amen-Rame- 
ses,  was  called  "Osiris"  officially;  unofficially,  he  had  been 
called  that  since  his  death. 

The  innate  joyfulness  of  the  Egyptian  people  began  to  gain 
the  victory  over  mourning,  especially  among  warriors,  artisans, 
and  laborers.  Delight  took  on,  among  common  people,  forms 
which  at  times  were  inappropriate.  Reports  began  to  circulate, 
it  was  unknown  where  they  had  originated,  that  the  new  pha 
raoh,  whom  the  whole  people  loved  instinctively,  intended  to 
occupy  himself  with  improving  the  condition  of  earth-tillers, 
laborers,  and  even  captives.  For  this  cause  it  happened,  an 
unheard-of  thing,  that  masons,  cabinet  makers,  potters,  instead 
of  drinking  quietly  and  speaking  of  their  own  occupation,  or 
family  interests,  dared  to  complain  in  dramshops,  not  only  of 
taxes,  but  even  to  complain  of  the  power  of  the  priesthood. 
And  earth-tillers,  instead  of  devoting  time  free  of  labor  to 
prayers  and  the  memory  of  their  ancestors,  told  one  another 
how  well  it  would  be  if  each  man  had  some  bit  of  land  as  his 
own,  and  could  rest  one  day  in  seven. 

Of  the  army,  and  especially  foreign  regiments,  nothing  was 
to  be  said.  Those  men  imagined  that  they  were  the  most 
noted  class  in  Egypt,  and  if  they  were  not,  they  would  soon 
be,  after  some  fortunate  war  in  the  near  future. 

But  the  nomarchs,  the  nobility  living  on  estates,  and  above 
all,  the  high  priests  of  various  temples  mourned  their  deceased 
lord  with  solemnity,  though  they  might  have  rejoiced,  since  the 
pharaoh  had  become  Osiris, 


518  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Taking  things  as  they  were,  the  new  ruler  had  interfered 
with  no  one  thus  far,  hence  the  cause  of  grief  for  dignitaries 
lay  in  those  same  reports  which  delighted  common  people. 
The  nornarchs  and  the  nobility  grieved  at  the  thought  that  their 
earth-tillers  might  be  idle  fifty  days  in  a  year,  and,  what  was 
worse,  possess  land,  though  even  of  an  extent  on  which  a  tomb 
might  be  erected.  Priests  grew  pale  and  gritted  their  teeth 
when  they  saw  the  management  of  Rameses  XIII.  and  the  way 
in  which  he  treated  them. 

In  fact,  immense  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  pharaoh's 
palace. 

The  pharaoh  had  transferred  his  residence  to  one  of  the 
wing  buildings,  in  which  almost  all  the  chambers  were  occupied 
by  generals.  In  the  cellars  Greek  warriors  were  quartered,  on 
the  first  story  the  guard,  in  the  chambers  along  the  wall,  Ethi 
opians.  Guard  around  the  building  was  kept  by  Asiatics,  and 
near  the  chambers  of  his  holiness  was  quartered  that  squadron 
from  which  were  selected  the  warriors  who  had  accompanied 
their  lord  when  he  hunted  Tehenna  through  the  desert. 

What  was  worse,  his  holiness,  in  spite  of  the  recent  rebellion 
of  the  Libyans  restored  to  them  his  favor  ;  he  condemned  none 
to  punishment,  and  gave  them  his  confidence. 

That  corps  of  priests  who  had  been  in  the  main  palace 
remained  with  him  it  is  true,  and  performed  religious  cere 
monies  under  the  direction  of  his  worthiness  Sem.  But  as  the 
priests  did  not  accompany  the  pharaoh  to  meals,  to  dinners 
and  suppers,  their  food  was  far  from  exquisite. 

In  vain  did  the  holy  men  declare  that  they  must  feed  the 
representatives  of  nineteen  dynasties,  and  a  multitude  of  gods. 
The  treasurer,  noting  the  intention  of  the  pharaoh,  answered 
that  flowers  and  perfumes  were  sufficient  for  gods  and  ances 
tors,  and  that  prophets  like  themselves,  as  morality  commanded, 
should  eat  barley  cakes  and  drink  beer  or  water.  To  support 
these  rude  theories  the  treasurer  referred  to  the  example  of 
Sem,  the  holy  high  priest,  who  lived  like  a  penitent,  and  what 
was  worse,  he  told  them  that  his  holiness,  with  the  generals,  had 
a  military  kitchen. 

In  view  of  this,  the  priests  of  the  palace  began  to  consider 
whetner  they  had  not  better  leave  the  stinted  house  of  the 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  519 

pharaok  and  go  to  their  own  dwellings  at  temples  where  their 
duties  would  be  easier,  and  where  hunger  would  not  twist  their 
entrails. 

They  would  have  done  this  before,  had  not  the  worthy  Herhor 
and  Mefres  commanded  them  to  remain  in  their  places. 

But  the  position  of  Herhor  near  the  new  pharaoh  was  not 
favorable.  The  all-powerful  minister,  who  had  till  of  late 
almost  never  left  the  chambers  of  the  pharaoh,  sat  now  alone 
in  his  villa,  and  frequently  he  did  not  see  the  new  ruler  for 
ten  days  in  succession.  He  was  still  minister  of  war,  but  he 
gave  out  almost  no  orders.  The  pharaoh  himself  settled  all 
military  questions.  He  alone  read  reports  of  generals;  he 
alone  decided  doubtful  questions,  while  his  adjutants  took  from 
the  minister  of  war  the  necessary  documents. 

If  his  worthiness  Herhor  was  ever  called  before  the  sovereign 
it  was  only  to  be  reprimanded. 

Nevertheless,  all  dignitaries  acknowledged  that  the  new 
pharaoh  worked  with  great  diligence. 

Rameses  XIII.  rose  before  sunrise,  he  bathed  and  burnt 
incense  before  the  statue  of  Osiris.  Immediately  afterward 
he  heard  the  reports  of  the  supreme  judge,  the  chief  scribe  of 
the  granaries  and  stables  in  the  whole  country,  the  high 
treasurer,  finally  the  chief  of  his  palaces.  This  last  dignitary 
suffered  most,  for  there  was  no  day  when  his  lord  did  not 
tell  him  that  the  court  cost  too  much,  and  kept  too  many 
persons. 

In  the  palace  dwelt  several  hundred  women  of  the  late 
pharaoh  with  a  corresponding  number  of  servants  and  children. 
The  chief  of  the  palace,  being  reproached  continually,  dismissed 
from  day  to  day  a  number  of  persons,  and  limited  the  allow 
ances  of  others.  At  the  end  of  a  month,  therefore,  all  the 
ladies  of  the  court  ran  weeping  and  wailing  to  Queen  Nikotris, 
and  begged  her  to  rescue  them. 

The  worthy  lady  betook  herself  to  the  pharaoh,  and,  falling 
on  her  face,  begged  him  to  take  compassion  on  the  women  of 
his  father,  and  not  let  them  die  in  destitution. 

The  pharaoh  listened  to  her  with  frowning  brows  and  com 
manded  the  chief  of  the  court  not  to  extend  his  saving  farther. 
But  at  the  same  time  he  told  the  most  worthy  lady  that  after 


520  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  funeral  of  his  father  the  women  would  be  removed  from 
the  palace  and  sent  to  the  country. 

"  Our  court,"  said  he,  "  costs  about  thirty  thousand  talents 
yearly,  or  once  and  a  half  as  much  as  the  whole  army.  I 
cannot  expend  such  a  sum  without  ruining  myself  and  the 
kingdom." 

u  Do  as  may  please  thee,"  answered  the  queen.  "Egypt  is 
thine.  But  I  fear  that  the  persons  rejected  from  the  court  will 
become  thy  enemies." 

At  this  he  took  his  mother  by  the  hand,  led  her  to  the 
window,  and  pointed  to  a  forest  of  spears  held  by  infantry 
drilling  in  the  courtyard. 

This  act  of  the  pharaoh  produced  an  unexpected  effect. 
The  queen's  eyes,  which  a  moment  before  gleamed  with  pride, 
were  filled  with  tears.  All  at  once  she  bent  and  kissed  her 
son's  hand,  saying  with  emotion,  — 

u  Thou  art,  indeed,  the  son  of  Isis  and  Osiris,  and  I  did 
well  when  I  yielded  thee  to  the  goddess.  Egypt  at  last  has  a 
ruler." 

From  that  time  the  worthy  lady  never  appealed  to  her  son 
in  any  question.  And  when  she  was  asked  for  protection,  she 
answered,  — 

"  I  am  the  servant  of  his  holiness  and  I  advise  you  to  carry 
out  his  commands  without  resistance.  All  he  does  comes  from 
inspiration  of  the  gods.  And  who  can  oppose  the  gods?  " 

After  breakfast  the  pharaoh  was  occupied  in  affairs  of  the 
ministry  of  war,  and  the  treasury ;  about  three  in  the  afternoon, 
surrounded  by  a  great  suite,  he  went  to  the  troops  encamped 
outside  Memphis,  and  reviewed  them. 

Indeed,  the  greatest  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  military 
condition. 

In  less  than  two  months  his  holiness  had  organized  five 
new  regiments,  or  rather  he  had  reestablished  those  dis 
banded  during  the  reign  of  his  father.  He  dismissed  officers 
addicted  to  drunkenness  and  gambling,  also  those  who  tortured 
warriors. 

Into  the  military  bureaus,  where  priests  alone  had  held  office, 
he  introduced  his  most  capable  adjutants,  who  very  soon 
mastered  important  documents  relative  to  the  army.  He  com- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST  521 

manded  to  make  a  list  of  all  men  in  the  state  who  belonged 
to  the  military  order,  but  who  for  years  had  not  fulfilled  any 
duty.  He  opened  two  new  schools,  one  for  the  education  of 
officers,  and  one  for  children  of  twelve  years,  and  renewed  a 
custom  then  in  abeyance,  that  youths  in  the  army  should 
receive  breakfast  only  after  three  hours'  marching  in  line  and 
in  column. 

Finally,  no  division  of  the  army  was  permitted  to  dwell  in 
villages,  all  must  live  in  camps  or  in  barracks.  Each  regiment 
had  its  fixed  field  of  exercise,  where  for  whole  days  the  warriors 
burled  stones  from  slings  or  shot  arrows  from  bows  at  marks 
from  one  to  two  hundred  yards  distant. 

A  command  was  issued  to  all  families  of  military  rank  that 
the  men  should  exercise  themselves  in  hurling  missiles  under 
direction  of  officers  and  decurions  of  the  army.  The  com 
mand  was  carried  out  straightway,  therefore  Egypt  looked 
like  a  camp  in  no  longer  than  two  months  after  the  death  of 
the  twelfth  Rameses.  For  even  village  or  city  children,  who 
before  had  played  as  scribes  and  priests,  now,  imitating  their 
elders,  began  to  play  as  warriors.  So  on  every  square  and  in 
every  garden,  from  morning  till  evening,  stones  and  arrows 
were  whistling,  and  the  courts  were  filled  with  complaints  about 
bodily  injuries. 

Egypt  was  transformed,  as  it  were,  and  in  spite  of  complaints 
a  great  movement  reigned  in  it,  and  all  because  of  the  new 
ruler. 

The  pharaoh  himself  was  pleased  and  his  pride  increased, 
seeing  that  the  whole  state  arranged  itself  to  his  wishes. 

But  a  moment  arrived  when  he  became  gloomy. 

On  the  very  day  that  the  embalmers  took  the  body  of 
Rameses  XII.  from  the  soda  bath,  the  chief  treasurer,  when 
making  his  usual  report,  said  to  the  pharaoh,  — 

"  I  know  not  what  to  do.  We  have  two  thousand  talents 
in  the  treasury,  and  for  the  funeral  of  the  dead  pharaoh  we 
need  at  least  one  thousand." 

"  How,  two  thousand?  "  asked  Rameses,  with  astonishment. 
"  When  I  assumed  power  thou  didst  tell  me  that  we  had 
twenty  thousand." 

"  We  have  expended  eighteen." 


522  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

"In  two  months?" 

' '  Our  outlays  are  enormous." 

"True,  but  new  taxes  come  in  every  day." 

"  The  taxes,  I  know  not  why,  have  decreased  again,  and  do 
not  come  in  so  plentifully  as  I  expected.  But  they  too  are 
expended.  Be  pleased  to  remember,  holiness,  that  we  have 
five  new  regiments ;  hence,  about  eight  thousand  men  have 
left  their  occupations  and  live  at  the  cost  of  the  treasury." 

The  pharaoh  grew  thoughtful. 

uWe  must,"  said  he,  "make  a  new  loan.  Come  to  an 
understanding  with  Herhor  and  Mefres,  so  that  the  temples 
may  lend  to  us." 

"  I  have  spoken  with  them.  The  temples  will  lend  us 
nothing." 

"The  prophets  are  offended,"  said  the  pharaoh,  smiling. 
"In  that  case  we  must  call  in  unbelievers.  Send  to  me 
Dagon." 

Toward  evening  the  pharaoh's  banker  came.  He  fell  on  the 
pavement  before  Rameses  and  offered  him  a  golden  goblet  set 
with  jewels. 

"Now  I  can  die!"  said  Dagon,  "since  my  most  gracious 
sovereign  has  mounted  the  throne." 

"But  before  thy  death,  find  me  a  few  thousand  talents,"  said 
his  holiness  to  the  kneeling  banker. 

The  Phoenician  was  alarmed.  Could  he  feign  great  embar 
rassment? 

"  Rather  command  me,  holiness,  to  seek  pearls  in  the  Nile, 
for  I  shall  perish  at  once,  and  my  lord  will  not  suspect  me  of 
ill-will  toward  him.  But  to  find  such  a  sum  to-day  !  " 

Rameses  XIII.  was  astounded. 

"How  is  this?"  inquired  he.  "Then  have  the  Phoenicians 
no  money  for  me  ?  " 

"  Our  blood,  our  lives,  our  children  we  will  give  thee,  holi 
ness.  But  money  —  where  can  we  find  it? 

"  Formerly  the  temples  gave  us  loans  at  fifteen  or  twenty  per 
cent  yearly,  but  since,  as  heir  to  the  throne,  thou  wert  in  the 
temple  of  Hator  at  Pi-Bast  the  priests  have  refused  us  every 
credit. 

"If  they  could  they  would  expel  us  from  Egypt,  or,  more 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  523 

gladly,  they  would  destroy  us.  Ah,  what  we  suffer  because  of 
them.  The  earth-tillers  do  what  they  like  and  whenever  they 
like.  As  rent  they  give  us  what  drops  from  their  noses.  If 
we  strike  one  of  them  they  rebel  to  the  last  man,  and  if  an 
unfortunate  Phoenician  goes  for  redress  to  a  court  he  either 
loses  his  case  or  pays  terribly. 

"  Our  hours  in   this  land   are   numbered,"   wailed  Dagon. 

The  pharaoh  frowned. 

"I  will  take  up  these  matters,"  answered  he,  "and  the 
courts  will  give  thee  justice.  Meanwhile,  I  need  about  five 
thousand  talents." 

"Where  shall  we  get  them,  O  lord?"  groaned  out  Dagon. 
' '  Find  us  purchasers,  holiness,  and  we  will  sell  all  our  property 
movable  and  immovable,  only  to  carry  out  thy  commands. 
But  where  are  the  purchasers?  There  are  none  except  the 
priests,  who  would  value  our  property  at  a  trifle,  and  then  not 
pay  ready  money." 

"  Send  to  Tyre,  to  Sidon,"  interrupted  Rameses.  "  Each  of 
those  cities  might  lend,  not  five,  but  a  hundred  thousand 
talents." 

"  Tyre  and  Sidon !  "  repeated  Dagon.  "  To-day  all  Phoenicia 
is  collecting  gold  and  jewels  to  pay  the  Assyrians.  Envoys  of 
King  Assar  are  circling  about  through  our  country  and  they 
say  that  if  we  pay  a  liberal  sum  yearly  the  King  and  the  sa 
traps  not  only  will  not  oppress  us,  but  will  offer  us  more  profits 
than  those  which  we  have  now  in  Egypt,  O  holiness,  through  thy 
favor." 

The  pharaoh  grew  pale  and  set  his  teeth.  The  banker  noted 
this  and  added,  quickly, — 

' '  But  why  should  I  waste  thy  time,  holiness,  with  my  stupid 
talk  ?  Here  in  Memphis  is  Prince  Hiram ;  he  perhaps  will  ex 
plain  all  this  to  my  lord  far  better  than  I  can,  for  he  is  a  sage 
and  a  member  of  the  supreme  council  in  our  cities." 

"Send  him  hither  quickly,"  replied  Rameses,  "for  thy  con 
versation  with  me,  Dagon,  is  not  that  of  a  banker,  but  of  a 
wailing  woman  at  a  funeral." 

The  Phoenician  touched  the  floor  once  again  with  his  fore 
head,  and  inquired,  — 

"  What  if  the  worthy  Hiram  cannot  come  immediately?     It 


524  THE   PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST 

is  late  now,  it  is  true.     But  he  is  in  such  fear  of  the  priests  that 
he  would  rather  come  at  night  to  do  homage,  0  holiness." 

The  pharaoh  bit  his  lips,  but  agreed  to  that  project ;  so  he 
sent  Tutmosis  with  the  banker  to  conduct  Hiram  to  the  palace 
by  secret  passages. 


CHAPTER   LV 

ABOUT  ten  in  the  evening  Hiram  stood  before  his  lord. 
He  was  dressed  in  the  dark  robe  of  a  Memphis  huckster. 

"  Why  dost  thou  steal  in  thus,  worthiness?"  inquired  Ram- 
eses.  "  Is  my  palace  a  prison,  or  a  house  of  lepers?" 

"Ah,  our  sovereign!"  sighed  the  old  Phoenician.  "Since 
thou  hast  become  lord  of  Egypt  the  criminals  are  those  who 
dare  to  see  thee  and  not  give  account  of  what  thou  art  pleased 
to  tell  them." 

"  To  whom  must  ye  repeat  my  words?  "  inquired  the  pharaoh. 

Hiram  raised  his  eyes  and  hands  to  heaven. 

"Holiness,  thouknowest  thy  enemies,"  said  he. 

"Thou  knowest,  worthiness,  why  I  have  summoned  thee.  I 
wish  to  borrow  a  few  thousand  talents." 

Hiram  made  a  hissing  noise  through  his  teeth,  so  that  the 
pharaoh  permitted  him  to  sit  in  his  presence,  which  was  the 
highest  honor.  When  he  had  disposed  himself  comfortably 
and  rested,  Hiram  said,  — 

"  Why  shouldst  thou  borrow,  holiness,  when  thou  mayst  have 
a  rich  treasury  ?  " 

"I  know,  when  I  shall  get  Nineveh,"  interrupted  Rameses. 
"  That  time  is  distant  and  I  need  money  this  day." 

"I  speak  not  of  war,"  answered  Hiram;  "I  speak  of  an 
affair  which  would  bring  large  sums  to  the  treasury  immedi 
ately,  and  a  permanent  yearly  income." 

"How?" 

"Permit  us,  holiness,  and  assist  us  to  dig  a  canal  which 
would  join  the  Red  Sea  with  the  Mediterranean." 

"Art  thou  jesting,  old  man?"  cried  the  pharaoh,  springing 
up  from  his  seat.  "  Who  could  do  such  a  work,  and  who  could 
wish  to  endanger  Egypt?  The  sea  would  inundate  the  country." 


THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  525 

"What  sea?  Neither  the  Mediterranean  nor  the  Red  Sea 
would,"  answered  Hiram  calmly.  "I  know  that  Egyptian 
priests  who  are  engineers  have  examined  this  work  and  have 
calculated  that  it  would  give  immense  profit,  it  is  the  best 
work  on  earth.  But  they  wish  to  do  it  themselves,  or  rather 
they  do  not  wish  that  the  pharaoh  should  do  it." 

"  Where  are  thy  proofs?"  asked  Rameses. 

tl  I  have  not  the  proofs,  but  I  will  send  a  priest,  holiness, 
who  will  explain  the  whole  affair  to  thee,  with  plans  and 
estimates." 

"  Who  is  this  priest?  " 

Hiram  thought  a  moment  and  then  asked,  — 

"Have  I  thy  promise,  holiness,  that  no  one  will  know  of 
him  except  us?  He,  lord,  will  render  more  service  than  I.  He 
knows  many  secrets  and  many  iniquities  of  the  priesthood. " 

"I  promise,"  answered  the  pharaoh. 

"  This  priest  is  Samentu.  He  is  a  great  sage,  but  needs 
money,  and  he  is  very  ambitious.  And  since  the  high  priests 
degrade  him  he  —  he — will  overturn  the  order  of  priests;  for 
he  knows  many  secrets  —  oh,  many  !  " 

Rameses  meditated.  He  understood  that  that  priest  was  a 
great  traitor,  but  he  estimated  the  magnitude  of  the  service 
which  the  man  might  render. 

"Well,"  said  the  pharaoh,  "  I  will  think  of  this  Samentu. 
But  now  let  us  suppose  for  the  moment  that  it  is  possible  to 
make  such  a  canal ;  what  profit  shall  I  have  from  it?  " 

Hiram  raised  his  left  hand,  and  counted  on  his  fingers. 

"  First,  holiness,  Phoenicia  will  give  thee  five  thousand 
talents  of  unpaid  tribute;  second,  Phoenicia  will  pay  for  the 
right  of  doing  this  work ;  third,  when  the  work  begins  we  will 
pay  one  thousand  talents  of  yearly  rent,  and  besides  as  many 
talents  as  Egypt  furnishes  us  tens  of  laborers;  fourth,  for 
every  Egyptian  engineer  we  will  give  to  thee,  holiness,  a 
talent  a  year ;  fifth,  when  the  work  is  finished  thou  wilt  give 
us  the  canal  for  one  hundred  years,  and  we  will  pay  for  that 
one  thousand  talents  yearly.  Are  those  small  gains?"  in 
quired  Hiram. 

"But  now,  to-day,"  asked  Rameses,  "would  ye  give  me 
those  five  thousand  talents  tribute  ?  " 


526  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"If  the  treaty  is  made  to-day  we  will  give  ten  thousand, 
and  we  will  add  three  thousand  as  an  advance  of  rent  for  a 
three  years'  period." 

Rameses  meditated.  More  than  once  Phffiiiicians  had  pro 
posed  the  cutting  of  this  canal  to  the  rulers  of  Egypt,  but 
they  had  always  met  the  unbending  resistance  of  the  priest 
hood.  The  Egyptian  sages  explained  to  the  pharaoh  that  that 
canal  would  expose  the  country  to  inundations  from  the  Red 
Sea  and  the  Mediterranean.  But  Hiram  asserted  that  such  a 
thing  would  not  happen ;  the  priests  knew  that  it  would  not. 

"  Ye  Phoenicians,"  said  the  pharaoh,  after  a  long  time, 
u  promise  to  pay  one  thousand  talents  yearly  for  one  hundred 
years.  Ye  say  that  that  canal  dug  in  the  sand  is  the  best 
affair  in  the  world.  I  do  not  understand  this,  and  I  confess, 
Hiram,  that  I  am  suspicious." 

Hiram's  eyes  flashed. 

u  Lord,"  replied  he,  "I  will  tell  thee  everything,  but  I  ab 
jure  thee  by  thy  crown,  by  the  shade  of  thy  father,  not  to  dis 
cover  the  secret  to  any  one.  This  is  the  greatest  secret  of  the 
Chaldean  and  Egyptian  priests,  and  even  of  Phoenicia.  On  it 
depends  the  future  of  the  world." 

"  Well,  well,  Hiram,"  answered  the  pharaoh  with  a  smile. 

"  To  thee,  O  pharaoh,"  continued  the  Phoenician,  "  the  gods 
have  given  wisdom,  nobility,  and  energy,  therefore,  thou  art  on 
our  side.  Thou,  alone,  of  earthly  rulers  mayst  be  initiated, 
for  thou  art  the  only  one  who  will  be  able  to  accomplish  great 
objects.  For  this  reason  thou  wilt  have  power  such  as  no  man 
has  ever  reached  before  thee." 

Rameses  felt  the  sweetness  of  pride  in  his  heart,  but  he  mas 
tered  his  feelings. 

"  Praise  me  not  for  what  I  have  not  done ;  but  explain  to 
me  what  profit  will  come  from  this  canal  to  Phoenicia  and  to 
Egypt?" 

Hiram  straightened  himself  in  the  chair,  and  began  in  a 
lowered  voice,  — 

"Know,  lord,  that  east,  north,  and  south  of  Assyria  and 
Babylon  are  not  morasses  inhabited  by  strange  monsters,  but 
immense  —  immense  states  and  countries.  Those  countries 
are  so  great  that  thy  foot  warriors,  O  holiness,  renowned  for 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  527 

marching,  would  have  to  move  eastward  two  years  without 
halt  before  they  could  reach  the  end  of  them." 

Rameses  raised  his  brows  like  one  who  permits  some  man  to 
lie,  but  knows  that  he  is  lying. 

"  Southeast  of  Babylon,  at  the  great  sea,  dwell  one  hundred 
millions  of  people  who  have  mighty  kings,  who  have  priests 
wiser  than  those  of  Egypt,  who  have  ancient  books,  and  skilled 
artisans.  Those  people  know  how  to  make  woven  stuffs,  im 
plements  and  vessels  as  beautiful  as  those  of  the  Egyptians, 
and  from  time  immemorial  they  have  temples  above  ground 
and  underground,  which  are  grander,  richer,  and  larger  than 
the  temples  of  Egypt." 

"  Speak  on,  speak  on  !  "  said  the  pharaoh.  But  it  was  im 
possible  to  learn  from  his  face  whether  his  curiosity  was 
roused  by  the  description,  or  he  was  indignant  at  the  untruth 
of  the  Phoenician. 

"  In  those  countries,"  continued  Hiram,  "  are  pearls,  precious 
stones,  gold,  copper ;  in  those  countries  grow  the  most  curious 
grains,  flowers,  and  fruits ;  finally  they  have  forests  where  a 
man  might  wander  whole  months  among  trees  thicker  than 
the  columns  in  the  temples  of  Egypt  and  taller  than  palms. 
The  inhabitants  of  those  countries  are  mild  and  simple.  And, 
holiness,  if  thou  wouldst  send  thither  two  regiments  on  ships, 
thou  wouldst  be  able  to  win  an  area  of  land  larger  than 
Egypt,  richer  than  the  treasures  of  the  labyrinth.  If  thou 
permit,  I  will  send  thee  to-morrow  specimens  of  the  woven 
stuffs  of  those  regions,  with  bronzes  and  woods  from  them.  I 
will  send  also  two  grains  of  a  wondrous  balsam  from  those 
countries;  if  a  man  swallows  this  balsam,  it  opens  the  gates  of 
eternity  before  him,  and  he  experiences  the  happiness  which 
falls  to  divinities  only." 

u  I  beg  thee  to  send  specimens  of  the  stuffs,  and  the  uten 
sils.  As  to  the  balsam,  never  mind  !  We  shall  enjoy  eternity 
and  the  gods  without  it  sufficiently  after  death." 

"But  far,  very  far  east  of  Assyria,"  added  Hiram,  u  lie  still 
greater  countries  —  countries  which  have  two  hundred  millions 
of  inhabitants." 

"  How  easy  millions  come  to  you  Phoenicians,"  laughed 
Rameses. 


528  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Hiram  placed  his  hand  on  his  heart. 

"  I  swear,"  said  he,  "by  the  souls  of  my  ancestors,  and  by 
my  honor  that  I  am  telling  truth." 

The  pharaoh  was  moved;  such  a  great  oath  arrested  his 
attention. 

"Speak  on — speak!"  said  he. 

"These  last  lands,"  continued  the  Phoenician,  "are  very 
wonderful.  They  are  inhabited  by  people  with  yellow  skin  and 
sloping  eyes.  Those  people  have  a  sovereign  who  is  called  the 
Son  of  Heaven,  and  he  governs  through  sages,  who  are  not 
priests,  however,  and  have  not  such  power  as  priests  have  in 
Egypt.  Still  those  people  are  like  the  Egyptians.  They  honor 
dead  ancestors  and  take  great  care  of  their  remains.  They  use 
writing  which  calls  to  mind  the  writing  of  Egyptian  priests. 
But  they  wear  long  robes  of  such  stuffs  as  are  unknown  in 
this  country ;  they  have  sandals  which  are  like  little  benches, 
and  they  cover  their  heads  with  pointed  boxes.  The  roofs  of 
their  houses  are  pointed  too  at  the  top,  and  are  turned  up  at 
the  edges. 

"  Those  uncommon  people  have  a  grain  which  is  more  plen 
tiful  than  Egyptian  wheat,  and  they  make  of  it  a  drink  which  is 
stronger  than  wine.  They  have  a  plant  the  leaves  of  which 
give  strength  to  the  members,  gladness  to  the  mind,  and  which 
enables  them  even  to  dispense  with  sleep.  They  have  paper 
which  they  adorn  with  many  colored  images,  and  they  have 
clay  which  after  it  is  burned  shines  like  glass,  and  is  as  reso 
nant  as  metal. 

"  To-morrow,  if  thou  permit,  holiness,  I  will  send  specimens 
of  the  works  of  these  people." 

"  Thou  art  narrating  wonders,  Hiram.  But  I  do  not  see  the 
connection  between  those  things  and  the  canal  which  thou 
wishest  to  dig." 

"  I  will  tell  in  brief,"  replied  the  Phoenician.  "  When  there 
is  a  canal  all  the  Phoenician  and  Egyptian  fleets  will  sail  on 
the  Red  Sea  and  beyond  it;  in  the  course  of  a  couple  of  months 
they  will  reach  those  rich  countries  which  by  land  are  almost 
inaccessible. 

"  But  dost  thou  not  see,  holiness,"  continued  he,  with  gleam 
ing  eyes,  "the  treasures  which  we  shall  find  there?  Gold, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  529 

precious  stones,  grain,  woods?  I  swear  to  thee,  lord,"  added 
he  with  enthusiasm,  "  that  gold  will  be  cheaper  than  copper  is 
now,  wood  will  be  cheaper  than  straw,  and  a  slave  cheaper 
than  a  cow.  Only  let  us,  lord,  dig  the  canal,  and  hire  fifty 
thousand  of  thy  warriors." 

Rameses,  too,  was  excited. 

"Fifty  thousand  warriors,"  repeated  he.  "But  what  will 
ye  give  me  for  this?  " 

"  I  have  said  already,  holiness.  One  thousand  talents 
yearly  for  the  right  to  work,  and  five  thousand  for  the  workmen, 
to  whom  we  will  give  food  and  wages." 

"  But  ye  will  kill  them  with  work?" 

"May  the  gods  forbid!  There  is  no  profit  when  workmen 
perish.  Thy  warriors,  holiness,  will  not  work  more  at  the 
canal  than  to-day  on  roads  and  at  fortresses  —  but  what  glory 
for  thee,  lord !  what  income  for  the  treasury,  what  profit  for 
Egypt !  The  poorest  earth-tiller  will  have  a  wooden  cottage, 
some  cattle,  tools,  and  furniture,  and  as  I  live,  a  slave.  No 
pharaoh  has  ever  raised  the  state  to  such  a  height  or  carried 
out  such  a  work. 

"  What  will  dead  and  useless  pyramids  be  in  comparison 
with  a  canal  to  facilitate  the  passage  of  treasures  to  the  whole 
world?" 

"Yes,"  added  the  pharaoh,  "and  fifty  thousand  warriors 
on  the  eastern  boundary." 

"  Of  course  !  "  exclaimed  Hiram.  "  In  view  of  that  force, 
which  will  cost  thee  nothing,  holiness,  Assyria  will  not  dare 
to  stretch  a  hand  toward  Phoenicia." 

The  project  was  so  brilliant  and  promised  such  profit  that 
Rameses  XIII.  felt  dazed  by  it.  But  he  mastered  himself. 

"Hiram, "said  he,  "thou  art  making  splendid  promises. 
So  splendid  that  I  fear  lest  thou  art  concealing  behind  them 
some  less  favorable  outcome.  Therefore  I  must  think  over 
this  matter  deeply  and  take  counsel  with  the  priests." 

"They  will  never  consent  of  themselves!"  exclaimed  the 
Phoenician.  "Though  —  may  the  gods  forgive  me  the  blas 
phemy  —  I  am  certain  that  if  to-day  the  highest  power  were 
in  the  hands  of  the  priests  they  would  summon  us  in  a  couple 
of  months  to  make  the  canal  for  them." 

34 


530  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Rameses  looked  with  cold  contempt  at  Hiram. 

"Old  man,"  said  he,  "  leave  me  to  care  for  the  obedience 
of  the  priests,  and  do  thou  present  proofs  that  what  thou  hast 
said  is  true.  I  should  be  a  very  poor  sovereign  were  I  unable 
to  remove  obstacles  springing  up  between  my  will  and  the 
interests  of  Egypt." 

"Thou  art  indeed  a  great  sovereign,  our  lord,"  whispered 
Hiram,  bending  to  the  floor. 

It  was  then  late  at  night.  The  Phoenician  took  farewell  of 
the  pharaoh  and  left  the  palace  with  Tutmosis.  The  following 
day  he  sent  through  Dagon  a  box  with  specimens  of  wealth 
from  the  unknown  countries. 

The  pharaoh  found  in  it  statues  of  gods,  woven  stuffs,  rings 
from  India,  small  morsels  of  opium,  and  in  a  second  division 
handfuls  of  rice,  leaves  of  tea,  two  porcelain  cups  ornamented 
with  pictures,  and  a  number  of  drawings  made  on  paper  with 
China  ink  and  colors.  He  examined  them  with  the  greatest 
attention  and  confessed  that  those  articles  were  new  to  him  : 
the  rice,  the  paper,  the  pictures  of  people  with  pointed  hats 
and  sloping  eyes. 

He  had  no  doubt  now  that  a  new  region  existed  which 
differed  in  every  way  from  Egypt :  in  mountains,  trees,  houses, 
bridges,  ships. 

"And  that  country  has  existed  for  ages  undoubtedly," 
thought  he ;  "our  priests  know  of  it,  they  know  of  its  wealth, 
but  say  nothing.  Evidently  they  are  traitors  who  wish  to  limit 
the  power  of  the  pharaoh  and  impoverish  him  so  as  to  push  him 
down  from  the  height  of  the  throne  afterward. 

"But  O  ye  my  ancestors  and  my  heirs,"  said  he  in  spirit, 
"I  call  you  to  witness  that  I  will  put  a  limit  to  these  iniquities  ; 
I  will  elevate  wisdom,  but  I  will  stamp  out  deceit,  and  I  will 
give  Egypt  hours  of  rest  from  labor." 

Thinking  thus,  he  raised  his  eyes  and  beheld  Dagon  waiting 
for  an  answer. 

"Thy  box  is  very  curious,"  said  he  to  the  banker,  "  but  — 
this  is  not  what  I  asked  of  thee." 

The  Phoenician  approached  him  on  tiptoe  and,  kneeling 
before  him,  whispered,  — 

"  Deign  holiness,   to   sign   a  treaty  with  the  worthy  Hiram, 


THE   PHARAOH  AXD   THE   PRIEST  531 

then  Tyre  and  Sidon  will  place  all  their  treasures  at  thy 
feet." 

Rameses  frowned.  He  was  displeased  by  the  insolence  of 
the  Phoenicians  who  dared  to  lay  down  conditions  to  him ;  so 
he  answered  coldly,  — 

"I  will  reflect  and  give  Hiram  my  answer.  Thou  mayst 
withdraw,  Dagon." 

After  the  Phoenician  had  gone,  Rameses  meditated  again ;  a 
reaction  began  in  him,  — 

44  Those  hucksters,"  said  he  in  his  heart,  u  consider  me  as  one 
of  themselves,  —  nay  more,  they  dare  to  hold  up  to  me  a  bag 
of  gold  from  afar  so  as  to  extort  a  treaty!  I  know  not 
that  any  of  the  pharaohs  admitted  them  to  such  confidence ! 
I  must  change.  The  men  who  fall  on  their  faces  before  the 
envoys  of  Assar  may  not  say  to  me,  i  Sign  and  thou  wilt  get! ' 
Stupid  Phoenician  rats,  who  steal  into  the  pharaoh's  palace 
and  look  on  it  as  their  own  den  a  moment  later !  " 

The  longer  he  thought  over  it  the  more  precisely  he  recalled 
the  bearing  of  Hiram  and  Dagon,  the  greater  the  auger  that 
seized  him,  — 

1 4  How  dare  they  —  how  dare  they  lay  conditions  down  to 
me?  Hei,  Tutmosis  !  "  cried  he. 

His  favorite  stood  before  him  immediately. 

"What  dost  thou  command,  my  lord?" 

44  Send  some  one  of  the  younger  officers  to  Dagon  to  inform 
him  that  he  has  ceased  to  be  my  banker.  He  is  too  stupid  for 
such  a  lofty  position." 

"  But  to  whom  dost  thou  predestine  the  honor,  holiness?  " 

"  I  know  not  at  the  moment.  It  will  be  necessary  to  find 
some  one  among  Egyptian  or  Greek  merchants.  In  the  last 
resort  we  will  turn  to  the  priests." 

Information  of  this  resolve  went  through  all  the  palaces,  and 
before  an  hour  it  had  reached  Memphis.  Throughout  the 
whole  city  people  said  that  the  Phoenicians  were  in  disfavor 
with  the  pharaoh.  Towards  evening  the  Egyptians  had  begun 
to  break  into  the  shops  of  the  hated  foreigners. 

The  priests  drew  a  breath  of  relief.  Herhor  even  made  a 
visit  to  holy  Mefres  and  said  to  him,— 

"  My   heart  felt  that  our  lord  would  turn   from  those  un- 


532  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

believers  who  are  drinking  the  blood  of  the  people.     I  think 
that  it  is  proper  for  us  to  show  him  gratitude." 

4 'And  perhaps  open  the  doors  to  our  treasures?"  asked 
Mefres,  rudely.  u  Hasten  not,  worthiness,  I  have  divined 
this  young  man — woe  to  us  if  ever  we  let  him  get  the  upper 
hand." 

"  But  if  he  has  broken  with  the  Phoenicians?  " 

4 'He  will  gain  by  that;  for  he  will  not  pay  his  debts  to 
them." 

"In  my  opinion,"  said  Herhor,  after  some  thought,  "now 
is  the  moment  in  which  we  can  regain  the  favor  of  this  youth 
ful  pharaoh.  He  is  hasty  in  anger,  but  he  knows  how  to  be 
grateful.  I  have  experienced  that  — 

"Every  word  is  an  error,"  interrupted  the  stubborn  Mefres. 
"First  of  all,  this  prince  is  not  the  pharaoh  yet,  for  he  has 
not  been  crowned  in  a  temple.  Second,  he  will  never  be  a 
real  pharaoh,  since  through  contempt  he  will  never  be  ordained 
a  high  priest.  And  finally,  we  do  not  need  his  favor,  while  he 
needs  the  favor  of  the  gods,  whom  he  insults  at  every  step  he 
makes." 

Mefres,  who  had  been  panting  from  anger,  stopped  and  be 
gan  anew,  — 

"  He  spent  a  month  in  the  temple  of  Hator,  he  listened  to 
the  highest  wisdom,  and  immediately  afterward  betook  himself 
to  the  Pho3nicians.  What  do  I  say?  He  visited  the  idol  house 
of  Astarte  and  took  thence  a  priestess  —  an  offence  against  all 
religions.  After  that  he  reviled  my  piety,  in  public  ;  conspired 
with  such  frivolous  minds  as  his  own,  and  with  the  aid  of 
Phoenicians  stole  state  secrets.  And  when  he  ascended  the 
throne  —  I  speak  incorrectly,  when  he  had  barely  stood  on 
the  first  step  of  the  throne,  he  tried  to  make  the  priests 
odious  ;  he  disturbed  the  earth-tillers  and  the  warriors,  and 
renewed  vows  with  his  friends  the  Phoenicians. 

"Dost  thou,  worthy  Herhor,  forget  all  this?  And  if  thou 
remember,  dost  thou  not  understand  the  dangers  which  threaten 
us  from  this  milksop?  Still  he  has  under  his  hand  the  rudder 
of  the  ship  of  state,  which  he  pushes  in  among  rocks  and  eddies. 
Who  will  assure  me  that  this  madman,  who  yesterday  sum 
moned  to  his  presence  the  Phoenicians,  but  quarrelled  with 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  533 

them  to-day,  will  not  do  something  to-morrow  which  will  ex 
pose  Egypt  to  destruction  ?  " 

"And  therefore,  what?"  inquired  Herhor,  looking  into  his 
eyes  quickly. 

"This — we  have  no  reason  to  show  him  gratitude,  which 
would  really  be  weakness.  But  since  he  wants  money  at  once, 
we  will  not  give  him  money." 

"  But —  but  then  what?  "  inquired  Herhor. 

"  Afterward  he  will  govern  the  state  and  increase  the  army 
without  money,"  answered  the  irritated  Mefres. 

"  But  if  his  famished  army  wants  to  rob  temples?  " 

"  Ha  !  ha !  ha  !  "  burst  out  Mefres,  but  suddenly  he  grew  seri 
ous  and  bowing  said  in  an  ironical  tone,  — 

"  That  pertains  to  thee,  worthiness.  A  man  who  for  so 
many  years  has  directed  the  state  should  prepare  for  such 
dangers." 

u  Let  us  suppose,"  said  Herhor,  slowly,  "that  I  can  find 
means  against  dangers  to  the  state.  But  canst  thou,  worthi 
ness,  who  art  the  senior  high  priest,  provide  against  insults  to 
the  priestly  order  and  the  temples?  " 

They  looked  each  other  in  the  eyes  for  a  moment. 

"Dost  thou  inquire  whether  I  can?  Whether  I  can? 
I  need  make  no  effort.  The  gods  have  placed  in  my 
hands  a  thunderbolt  which  will  destroy  every  author  of 
sacrilege." 

"  Pst !  "  whispered  Herhor.     "  Let  that  take  place." 

"  With  the  consent  or  without  the  consent  of  the  supreme 
council  of  priests,"  added  Mefres.  "When  a  boat  is  over 
turned  there  is  no  time  to  discuss  with  the  oarsmen." 

They  parted  in  a  gloomy  state  of  mind.  That  same  day  in 
the  evening  the  Pharaoh  summoned  them. 

They  came  at  the  appointed  time,  each  high  priest  sepa 
rately.  Each  made  a  profound  obeisance  to  his  lord,  and 
each  stood  in  a  separate  corner  without  looking  at  the  other. 

"Have  they  quarrelled?"  thought  Rameses?  "No  harm  in 
that !  " 

A  moment  later  the  holy  Sem  and  the  prophet  Pentuer  came 
in.  Then  Rameses  sat  on  an  elevation,  indicated  to  the  priests 
stools  in  front  of  him,  and  said,  — 


534  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Holy  fathers !  I  have  not  summoned  you  thus  far  to 
counsel  because  all  my  orders  related  to  military  questions 
exclusively." 

"  Thou  hadst  the  right,  holiness,  not  to  call  us,"  put  in  Herhor. 

"  I  have  done  what  I  was  able  in  such  a  short  time  to 
strengthen  the  defensive  power  of  the  state.  I  have  formed 
two  new  schools  for  officers  and  I  have  restored  five 
regiments/' 

"  Thou  hadst  the  right,  lord,"  answered  Mefres. 

"  Of  other  military  reforms  I  do  not  speak,  since  those 
questions  do  not  concern  }^ou,  holy  people." 

"Thou  art  right,"  said  Mefres  and  Herhor  together. 

"But  there  is  another  question,"  continued  the  pharaoh, 
satisfied  with  the  assent  of  the  two  dignitaries  from  whom  he 
had  expected  opposition.  "The  funeral  day  of  my  divine 
father  is  approaching,  but  the  treasury  does  not  possess  suffi 
cient  funds." 

Mefres  rose  from  his  stool. 

"  Osiris-Mer-Amen-Rameses,"  said  he,  "was  a  just  lord  who 
for  many  years  assured  peace  to  his  people,  and  praise  to  the 
gods.  Permit,  holiness,  that  the  funeral  of  this  pious  pharaoh 
be  performed  at  the  expense  of  the  temples." 

Rameses  XIII.  was  astonished  and  was  moved  by  the  homage 
rendered  his  father.  He  was  silent  for  a  while  as  if  unable  to 
find  an  answer  ;  at  last  he  replied,  — 

"  I  am  very  thankful  to  you  for  the  honor  shown  my  father, 
who  is  equal  to  the  gods.  I  permit  the  funeral,  and  once  more 
I  thank  you  greatly." 

He  stopped,  rested  his  head  on  his  hand  and  meditated,  as  if 
struggling  with  himself.  Suddenly  he  raised  his  head  ;  his  face 
was  animated,  his  eyes  were  gleaming. 

"I  am  moved,"  said  he,  "by  this  proof  of  your  good-will. 
If  the  memory  of  my  father  is  so  dear  to  you  ye  cannot  have 
ill-will  toward  me." 

"  Thou  hast  no  doubt,  I  think,  holiness,  touching  our  good 
will?  "  said  the  high  priest  Sem. 

"  Thou  art  speaking  truth,"  continued  the  pharaoh.  "  I  sus 
pected  you  unjustly  of  prejudice  toward  me.  I  wish  .to  correct 
my  suspicion;  I  will  be  sincere  with  you." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  535 

"  May  the  gods  bless  thee,  holiness,"  said  Herhor. 

"  I  will  be  sincere.  My  divine  father,  because  of  age,  illness, 
and  perhaps  priestly  occupations,  could  not  devote  so  much 
time  to  affairs  of  state  as  I  can.  I  am  young,  in  health,  free, 
hence  I  wish  to  rule,  myself,  and  will  rule.  As  a  leader  must 
direct  his  army  on  his  own  responsibility  and  according  to 
his  own  plan,  so  shall  I  direct  the  state.  This  is  my  express 
will  and  I  shall  not  draw  back  from  it. 

"  But  I  understand  that  even  were  I  the  most  experienced  I 
could  not  succeed  without  faithful  servants  and  wise  counsel 
lors.  Therefore  I  shall  ask  your  advice  sometimes  on  various 
questions." 

"  To  this  end  we  constitute  the  supreme  council  near  thy 
throne,"  remarked  Herhor. 

"I  shall  use,"  continued  Rameses  with  animation,  "your 
services  immediately,  even  from  this  moment." 

"Command,  lord,"  said  Herhor. 

"I  wish  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  Egyptian  people. 
But  since  in  such  affairs  over-hasty  action  may  only  bring  in 
jury,  I  give  them  at  first  a  small  thing :  After  six  days'  labor 
the  seventh  for  rest," 

"  Such  was  it  during  the  reigns  of  the  eighteenth  dynasty. 
That  law  is  as  old  as  Egypt  itself,"  said  Pentuer. 

"  Rest  every  seventh  day  will  give  fifty  days  to  each  laborer 
during  a  year,  or  it  will  take  from  his  lord  fifty  drachma.  On 
a  million  of  laborers  the  state  will  lose  ten  thousand  talents 
yearly,"  said  Mefres.  "  We  have  calculated  that  in  the 
temples." 

"  That  is  true,"  answered  Pentuer,  quickly,  "  but  the  losses 
will  be  during  the  first  year  only,  for  when  the  people  increase 
in  strength  by  rest  they  will  recover  all  and  more  in  the  follow 
ing  years." 

"That  is  true,"  answered  Mefres,  "but  in  every  case 
it  is  necessary  to  have  ten  thousand  talents  for  that  first  year, 
I  think  even  that  twenty  thousand  talents  would  not  be 
amiss." 

"Thou  art  right,  worthy  Mefres,"  said  the  pharaoh.  "In 
view  of  the  changes  which  I  wish  to  introduce  in  my  state 
twenty  thousand,  and  even  thirty  thousand  talents  would  not 


536  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

be  too  great  a  sum  ;  therefore,"  added  he  quickly,  "  I  shall  ask 
assistance  of  you  holy  men." 

"  We  are  ready  to  support  every  measure  of  thy  holiness 
with  prayers  and  processions,"  said  Mefres. 

"Very  good;  pray  and  encourage  the  people  to  pray.  But 
besides  that  give  the  state  thirty  thousand  talents,"  answered 
the  pharaoh. 

The  high  priests  were  silent ;  Rameses  waited  a  while,  then 
turned  to  Herhor,  — 

"  Thou  art  silent,  worthiness." 

"  Thou  hast  said  thyself,  O  sovereign,  that  the  treasury  has 
no  means,  even  to  bury  Osiris-Mer-Amen-Rameses.  I  cannot 
even  divine,  therefore,  where  we  could  get  thirty  thousand 
talents." 

"  But  the  treasury  of  the  labyrinth." 

"  That  is  a  treasury  of  the  gods,  to  be  touched  only  at  a 
moment  when  the  state  is  in  supreme  need,"  replied  Mefres. 

Rarneses  XIII.  boiled  up  with  anger. 

"  If  earth-tillers  do  not  need  this  sum,  I  do,"  said  he,  striking 
his  fist  on  the  arm  of  the  chair. 

"  Holiness,"  replied  Mefres,  "  them  canst  in  the  course  of  a 
year  receive  more  than  thirty  thousand  talents,  and  Egypt  twice 
as  much." 

"How?" 

"Very  simply.  Give  command,  sovereign,  to  expel  the 
Phoenicians  from  Egypt." 

It  seemed  that  the  pharaoh  would  rush  at  the  insolent  high 
priest ;  he  grew  pale,  his  lips  quivered,  his  eyes  stared.  But 
he  restrained  himself  in  one  moment,  and  said,  in  a  tone  of 
wonderful  calmness,  — 

"  Well,  sufficient.  If  ye  are  able  to  give  only  such  counsels 
I  shall  get  on  without  them.  The  Phoenicians  have  our  signa 
tures  that  we  will  pay  them  our  debts  faithfully.  Has  this 
occurred  to  thee,  Mefres?" 

u  Pardon,  holiness,  but  at  that  moment  other  thoughts  occu 
pied  me.  Thy  ancestors,  not  on  papyrus,  but  on  bronze  and 
stone  carved  out  the  statement  that  the  gifts  made  by  them  to 
the  gods  and  the  temples  belonged  and  would  belong  forever 
to  the  gods  and  the  temples," 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  537 

u  And  to  you  priests,"  added  the  pharaoh,  sneeringly. 

"  As  much  to  us,"  replied  the  haughty  high  priest,  "  as  the 
state  belongs  to  thee,  sovereign.  We  guard  and  increase  those 
treasures  ;  but  we  have  not  the  right  to  spend  them." 

The  pharaoh  left  the  hall  panting  with  anger,  and  went  to 
his  own  cabinet.  His  position  was  presented  to  him  with  terri 
ble  distinctness.  Of  the  hatred  of  the  priests  toward  him 
he  had  no  doubt  any  longer.  Those  were  the  same  dignitaries 
who,  giddy  with  pride,  had  the  past  year  refused  him  the  corps 
of  Memphis,  and  who  had  made  him  viceroy  only  when  it 
seemed  to  them  that  he  had  performed  an  act  of  penitence  by 
withdrawing  from  the  palace  —  the  very  same  who  watched 
every  movement  of  his,  made  reports  regarding  him,  but  did 
not  tell  him,  the  heir  to  the  throne,  even  of  the  treaty  with 
Assar,  —  the  very  same  dignitaries  who  had  employed  deceit 
against  him  in  the  temple  of  Hator,  and  who  at  the  Soda  Lakes 
slaughtered  prisoners  to  whom  he  had  promised  freedom. 

The  pharaoh  recalled  the  obeisances  of  Herhor,  the  looks  of 
Mefres,  and  the  tones  of  voice  which  both  used.  Beneath 
the  show  of  good-will,  their  pride  and  their  contempt  for  him 
appeared  each  moment.  He  asks  for  money,  they  promise 
prayers.  Nay !  they  dare  to  tell  him  that  he  is  not  sole  ruler 
in  the  land  of  Egypt. 

The  young  sovereign  laughed  in  spite  of  himself,  for  he  called 
to  mind  the  hired  herdsmen  who  told  the  owner  of  the  flock  that 
he  had  no  right  to  do  what  he  liked  with  it.  Besides  the  ridicu 
lous  aspect  there  was  in  the  case  a  point  -which  was  terrible. 
The  treasury  contained  perhaps  a  thousand  talents  which, 
according  to  the  recent  rate  of  outlay  would  last  from  seven 
to  ten  days.  And  then  what?  How  would  the  officials,  the 
servants,  and  above  all  how  would  the  army,  exist,  not  only 
without  pay,  but  without  sustenance? 

The  high  priests  knew  this  position  of  the  pharaoh  —  if  they 
did  not  hasten  to  assist  him  they  wished  to  ruin  him,  and  to 
ruin  him  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  even  before  the  funeral 
of  his  father. 

Rameses  recalled  a  certain  event  of  his  childhood. 

He  was  at  a  school  of  the  priests  when,  on  the  festival  of 
the  goddess  Mut,  after  various  amusements  they  introduced 


538  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  most  famous  buffoon  in  Egypt.  This  artist  represented  an 
unfortunate  hero :  when  he  commanded  he  was  not  obeyed, 
his  anger  was  answered  with  laughter,  and  when,  to  punish 
those  who  made  sport  of  him,  he  seized  an  axe,  the  axe  broke 
in  his  hands.  At  last  the}7  let  out  a  lion  at  him  and  when  the 
defenceless  hero  began  to  flee  it  turned  out  that  not  a  lion  was 
chasing  him,  but  a  pig  in  a  lion's  skin. 

The  pupils  and  the  teachers  laughed  at  those  adventures  till 
the  tears  came ;  but  the  little  prince  sat  gloomily  ;  he  was  sorry 
for  the  man  who  was  eager  for  great  things  but  fell  covered 
with  ridicule. 

That  scene  and  the  feelings  which  he  experienced  then  were 
revived  in  the  memory  of  the  pharaoh.  u  They  want  to  make 
me  like  that  buffoon,"  thought  he.  Despair  seized  him,  for  he 
felt  that  his  power  would  end  when  the  last  talent  was  issued, 
and  with  his  power  his  life  also. 

But  here  came  a  certain  revulsion.  He  halted  in  the  middle  of 
the  room  and  thought,  — 

"What  can  happen  to  me?  Nothing  save  death.  I  will 
go  to  my  glorious  ancestors,  to  Rameses  the  Great —  But 
then,  I  could  not  tell  them  that  I  died  without  defending  myself. 
After  the  misfortunes  of  this  earthly  life  eternal  shame  would 
meet  me.  How  was  it  to  end?  He,  the  conqueror  at  the  Soda 
Lakes,  to  yield  before  a  handful  of  deceivers  against  whom  one 
Asiatic  regiment  would  not  have  much  trouble?  For  the  reason, 
then,  that  Mefres  and  Herhor  wish  to  rule  Egypt  and  the  pharaoh, 
his  troops  must  suffer  hunger,  and  a  million  men  are  not  to  re 
ceive  rest  from  labor?  But  did  not  his  ancestors  rear  these 
temples.  Did  they  not  fill  them  with  spoils  ?  And  who  won  the 
battles  ?  The  priests,  or  the  warriors  ?  Who,  then,  had  a  right  to 
the  treasures,  —  the  priests,  or  the  pharaoh  and  his  army  ?  " 

Rameses  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  summoned  Tutmosis. 
Though  it  was  late  at  night  the  favorite  came  to  him  straight  - 
way. 

"  Dost  thou  know,"  asked  the  pharaoh,  "that  the  priests 
have  refused  me  a  loan,  though  the  treasury  is  empty?" 

Tntmosis  straightened  himself,  and  asked,  — 

"  Wilt  thou  command  to  take  them  to  prison?" 

"  Wouldstthou?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  539 

"  There  is  not  an  officer  in  Egypt  who  would  hesitate  to 
carry  out  an  order  from  our  lord  and  leader." 

"In  that  case,"  said  the  pharaoh,  deliberately,  "there  is 
no  need  to  imprison  any  one.  I  have  too  much  power  on  my 
side  and  too  much  contempt  for  the  priesthood.  A  man  does 
not  put  into  a  box  bound  with  iron  the  carrion  which  he  meets 
on  the  highway;  he  merely  passes  around  it." 

"  But  a  hyena  is  confined  in  a  cage,"  whispered  Tutmosis. 

"It  is  too  early  yet.  I  must  be  gracious  to  those  men,  at 
least  till  my  father  is  buried  or  they  might  commit  some  indignity 
on  his  revered  mummy,  and  destroy  his  spirit.  But  go  to 
morrow  to  Hiram  and  tell  him  to  send  me  that  priest  of  whom 
we  have  spoken." 

"  That  will  be  done.  But  I  must  remind  thee,  holiness,  that 
to-day  people  attacked  Phoenician  houses  in  Memphis." 

"  Oho!     That  was  not  needed." 

"  It  seems  to  me,  too,"  continued  Tutmosis,  "that  since  thou 
hast  commanded  Pentuer  to  investigate  the  condition  of  earth- 
tillers  and  laborers  the  priests  are  exciting  the  nomarchs  and 
nobles.  They  say  that  it  is  thy  wish  to  ruin  the  nobility  for 
the  sake  of  the  people." 

"  But  do  the  nobles  believe  that?  " 

"  There  are  some  who  believe,  but  there  are  others  who 
say  directly  that  it  is  an  intrigue  of  the  priests  against 
the  pharaoh." 

"  But  if  I  wish  indeed  to  improve  the  condition  of  earth- 
tillers?" 

"Thou  wilt  do,  lord,  that  which  pleases  thee,"  answered 
Tutmosis. 

"  Oh,  I  understand  my  position  !  "  exclaimed  Rameses.  "  Be 
at  rest,  and  tell  the  nobility  that  not  only  will  they  lose  nothing 
in  carrying  out  my  orders,  but  their  own  condition  will  be 
improved  notably.  The  wealth  of  Egypt  must  be  taken  at 
last  from  the  hands  of  the  unworthy  and  given  to  faithful 
servants." 

The  pharaoh  dismissed  his  adjutant  and  went  to  rest  satis 
fied  His  temporary  despair  seemed  to  him  laughable. 

About  noon  of  the  following  day  it  was  announced  that  a 
deputation  of  Phoenician  merchants  had  come  to  his  holiness. 


540  THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST 

"  Do  they  wish  to  complain  of  the  attack  on  their  houses?  " 
inquired  the  pharaoh. 

"  No,"  replied  the  adjutant,  "  they  wish  to  offer  thee 
homage." 

In  fact  a  number  of  Phoenicians,  under  the  leadership  of 
Rabsun,  declared  that,  according  to  ancient  custom  they  had 
made  bold  to  lay  an  insignificant  gift  at  the  feet  of  the 
sovereign  who  gave  life  to  them  and  security  to  their 
property. 

Then  they  placed  on  the  tables  gold  plates,  chains,  and  gob 
lets  filled  with  jewels. 

After  that,  Rabsun  placed  on  the  steps  of  the  throne  a  tray 
with  the  papyrus  by  which  the  Phoenicians  bound  themselves  to 
give  all  things  necessary  for  the  army  to  the  amount  of  two 
thousand  talents. 

That  was  a  considerable  gift,  since  all  that  the  Phoenicians 
had  brought  represented  a  sum  of  three  thousand  talents. 

The  pharaoh  answered  the  faithful  merchants  very  graciously, 
and  promised  protection.  He  dismissed  them  in  happiness. 

Rameses  XIII.  drew  a  breath  of  relief :  bankruptcy  of  the 
treasury,  and  therefore  the  need  of  using  violent  measures 
against  the  priests  was  deferred  ten  days  longer. 

In  the  evening,  again,  under  the  guardianship  of  Tutmosis, 
the  worthy  Hiram  stood  in  the  cabinet  of  his  holiness.  This 
time  he  did  not  complain  of  weariness,  but  he  fell  on  his  face 
and  cursed  the  stupid  Dagon. 

"  I  have  learned,"  said  he,  "  that  that  mangy  fellow  dared 
to  remind  thee,  holiness,  of  our  talk  concerning  the  canal  to 
the  Red  Sea.  May  he  perish !  May  the  leprosy  devour  him ! 
May  his  children  become  swineherds  and  his  grandchildren 
Hebrews.  But  do  thou,  sovereign,  only  command,  and  what 
ever  wealth  Phoenicia  has  she  will  lay  at  thy  feet  without  bond 
or  treaty.  Are  we  Assyrians — or  priests,"  added  he  in  a 
whisper,  "  that  one  word  of  such  a  mighty  potentate  should 
not  suffice  us?  " 

"•  But  if  I  should  require  a  really  large  sum?  " 

"  Such  as—  ?  " 

"  For  example,  thirty  thousand  talents." 

4 '  Immediately  ?  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  541 

"  No,  in  the  course  of  a  year." 

"Thou  wilt  have  it,  holiness,"  answered  Hiram,  without 
hesitation. 

The  pharaoh  was  astonished  at  this  liberality. 

"  But  must  I  give  you  a  pledge?  " 

"Only  for  form's  sake,"  replied  the  Phoenician.  "  Give  us, 
holiness,  the  quarries  in  pledge,  so  as  not  to  rouse  the  suspi 
cious  of  priests.  Were  it  not  for  them,  thou  wouldst  have  all 
Phoenicia  without  pledge  or  paper." 

"But  the  canal?  Am  I  to  sign  a  treaty  at  once?"  asked 
Rameses. 

"Not  at  all.  Thou  wilt  make,  O  holiness,  a  treaty  when  it 
pleases  thee." 

It  seemed  to  the  pharaoh  that  he  was  uplifted  in  the  air.  At 
that  moment  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  tasted  for  the  first 
time  the  sweetness  of  regal  power,  and  tasted  it,  thanks  to  the 
Phoenicians. 

"  Hiram,"  said  he,  controlling  himself  no  longer,  "I  give 
thee  permission  this  day  to  dig  a  canal  which  shall  join  the 
Red  Sea  with  the  Mediterranean." 

The  old  man  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  pharaoh. 

"  Thou  art  the  greatest  sovereign  ever  seen  on  earth,"  said 
he. 

' '  For  the  time  thou  art  not  permitted  to  speak  of  this  to  any 
one,  because  the  enemies  of  my  glory  are  watching.  But  that 
thou  shouldst  feel  certain,  I  give  thee  this  from  my  own  finger." 

He  took  from  his  finger  a  ring  adorned  with  a  magic  stone 
on  which  was  engraved  the  name  Horus,  and  put  it  on  the 
finger  of  the  Phoenician. 

"  The  property  of  all  Phoenicia  is  at  thy  command,"  said 
Hiram,  moved  profoundly.  "Thou  wilt  accomplish  a  work 
which  will  herald  thy  name  till  the  sun  quenches." 

The  pharaoh  pressed  Hiram's  iron-gray  head  and  commanded 
him  to  sit  down  before  him. 

"  And  so  we  are  allies,"  said  he,  after  a  while,  "  and  I  hope 
that  from  this  will  rise  prosperity  for  Egypt  and  Phoenicia." 

"  For  the  whole  world,"  added  Hiram. 

"  But  tell  me,  prince,  whence  hast  thou  such  confidence 
in  me?  " 


542  THE   PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  I  know  thy  noble  character,  holiness.  If  thou,  sovereign, 
wert  not  a  pharaoh,  in  a  few  years  thou  wouldst  become  the 
most  renowned  of  Phoenician  merchants  and  the  chief  of  our 
council." 

"Let  us  suppose  that,"  replied  Rameses.  "But  I,  to  keep 
my  promises,  must  first  bend  the  priests.  That  is  a  struggle 
the  issue  of  which  is  uncertain." 

Hiram  smiled. 

"Lord,"  said  he,  "  if  we  were  so  insignificant  as  to  abandon 
thee  to-day  when  thy  treasury  is  empty,  and  thy  enemies  are 
insolent,  thou  wouldst  lose  the  battle.  For  a  man  deprived  of 
means  loses  daring  easily;  from  an  impoverished  king  his 
armies  turn  away  as  well  as  his  dignitaries  and  his  subjects. 
But  if  thou,  sovereign,  have  our  gold  and  our  agents,  with  thy 
army  and  thy  generals  thou  wilt  have  as  much  trouble  with  the 
priests  as  an  elephant  with  a  scorpion.  Thou  wilt  barely  set 
thy  foot  on  them  and  they  will  be  crushed  beneath  it.  But  this 
is  not  my  affair.  The  high  priest  Samentu  is  waiting  in  the 
garden,  he  whom  thou  hast  summoned.  I  withdraw ;  it  is  his 
hour.  But  I  refuse  not  the  money.  Command  me  to  the  extent 
of  thirty  thousand  talents." 

He  fell  on  his  face  again  and  then  withdrew,  promising  that 
Samentu  would  present  himself  straightway. 

In  half  an  hour  the  high  priest  appeared.  As  became  one 
who  honored  Set  he  did  not  shave  his  red  beard  and  shaggy 
hair;  he  had  a  severe  face,  but  eyes  full  of  intellect.  He 
bowed  without  excessive  humility  and  met  the  soul-piercing 
gaze  of  the  pharaoh  with  calmness. 

"  Be  seated/'  said  the  pharaoh. 

The  high  priest  sat  on  the  floor. 

u  Thou  pleasest  me,"  said  Rameses.  "Thou  hast  the  bear 
ing  and  the  face  of  a  Hyksos,  and  they  are  the  most  valiant 
troops  in  my  army."  Then  he  inquired,  on  a  sudden  — 

"Art  thou  the  man  who  informed  Hiram  of  the  treaty  of  our 
priests  with  Assyria  ? " 

"  I  am,"  replied  Samentu,  without  dropping  his  eyes. 

"Didst  thou  share  in  that  iniquity?" 

"  I  did  not.  I  overheard  the  conditions.  In  the  temples,  as 
in  thy  palaces,  holiness,  the  walls  are  honeycombed  with  pas- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  543 

sages  through  which  it  is  possible  to  hear  on  the  summit  of 
pylons  what  is  said  in  the  cellars." 

''And  from  subterranean  places  it  is  possible  to  converse 
with  persons  in  upper  chambers?"  asked  the  pharaoh. 

' '  And  imitate  voices  from  the  gods,"  added  the  priest 
seriously. 

The  pharaoh  smiled.  Then  the  supposition  was  correct  that 
it  was  not  the  spirit  of  his  father,  but  priests  who  spoke  to  him 
and  to  his  mother. 

"  Why  didst  thou  confide  to  Phoenicians  a  great  secret  of  the 
state  ?  "  inquired  Rameses. 

"Because  I  wished  to  prevent  a  shameful  treaty  which  was 
as  harmful  to  us  as  to  Phoenicia." 

"  Thou  mightst  have  forewarned  some  Egyptian  dignitary.'7 

"  Whom?  "  inquired  the  priest.  "  Men  who  were  powerless 
before  Herhor ;  or  who  would  complain  of  me  to  him  and  ex 
pose  me  to  death  and  tortures  ?  I  confided  it  to  Hiram,  for  he 
meets  dignitaries  of  ours  whom  I  never  see." 

4 '  But  why  did  Herhor  and  Mef  res  conclude  such  a  treaty  ?  " 
inquired  Rameses. 

u  In  my  opinion,  they  are  men  of  weak  heads  whom  Beroes, 
the  great  Chaldean  priest,  frightened.  He  told  them  that  for 
ten  years  evil  fates  would  threaten  Egypt;  that  if  we  began 
war  with  Assyria  during  that  time  we  should  be  defeated." 

4 'And  did  they  believe  him?" 

"  Beroes,  it  seems,  showed  them  wonders.  He  was  even 
borne  above  the  earth.  Beyond  doubt  that  is  wonderful;  but  I 
cannot  understand  why  we  should  lose  Phoenicia  because 
Beroes  can  fly  above  the  earth." 

"Then  thou  dost  not  believe  in  miracles?" 

"  It  depends  upon  what  they  are,"  replied  Samentu.  "It 
seems  that  Beroes  does  perform  unusual  things  ;  but  our  priests 
merely  deceive  people  as  well  as  rulers." 

"  Thou  hast  a  hatred  for  the  priestly  order?'* 

"  Well,  they  cannot  endure  me,  and  what  is  worse  they 
insult  me  under  pretext  that  I  am  a  minister  of  Set.  Mean 
while,  what  do  I  care  for  gods  whose  hands  and  feet  must  be 
moved  by  strings.  Or  priests  who  pretend  to  be  abstemious 
and  devout,  but  have  ten  wives,  spend  some  tens  of  talents 


Ul  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

yearly,  steal  the  offerings  placed  on  altars,  and  are  little  wiser 
than  pupils    of  a  higher  school." 

"  But  dost  thou  take  presents  from  Phoenicians?" 

u  From  whom  should  I  take  them?  The  Phoenicians  are  the 
only  men  who  really  honor  Set  ;  they  fear  lest  he  might  wreck 
their  ships.  With  us  the  poor  alone  revere  him.  Were  I  re 
stricted  to  their  offerings  I  should  die  of  hunger,  and  my  chil 
dren  also." 

The  pharaoh  thought  that  this  priest  was  not  a  bad  man, 
though  he  had  betrayed  a  temple  secret.  And  moreover, 
he  seemed  wise  and  he  spoke  truth. 

"  Hast  thou  heard  anything,"  inquired  Rameses  again,  "  of 
a  canal  which  is  to  join  the  Red  Sea  with  the  Mediterranean  ?  " 

4  e  I  know  of  that  affair.  Our  engineers  have  been  develop 
ing  the  project  for  some  centuries." 

"  But  why  has  it  not  been  carried  out  ere  this  time?" 

*'  Because  the  priests  are  afraid  that  strangers  would  come 
who  might  undermine  our  religion,  and  with  it  the  priestly  in 
come." 

'  '  Is  there  truth  in  what  Hiram  sa}rs  of  people  living  in  the 
distant  East?" 

"  Perfect  truth.  We  know  of  them  for  a  long  time,  and  no 
ten  years  pass  that  we  do  not  receive  from  those  countries 
products,  precious  stones,  or  pictures." 

The  pharaoh  meditated  again,  and  asked  suddenly,  — 

"  Wilt  thou  serve  me  faithfully  if  I  make  thee  my  coun 
sellor?" 

"  I  will  serve  thee,  holiness,  with  life  and  death.  But  were  I 
to  become  thy  counsellor,  the  priests,  who  hate  me,  would  be 
indignant." 

u  Dost  thou  not  think  it  possible  to  overthrow  them?" 

"  It  is  possible  and  very  easy." 

"  What  would  thy  plan  be,  if  I  had  to  free  myself  of 
them?" 

"  To  obtain  possession  of  the  treasures  in  the  labyrinth." 

"  Couldst  thou  go  to  it?  " 

"I  have  many  indications;  the  rest  I  can  discover,  for  I 
know  where  to  search  for  them." 

What  further?  "  inquired  the  pharaoh. 


" 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  545 

"  It  would  be  necessary  to  bring  an  action  against  Herhor 
and  Mefres  for  treason,  and  for  secret  relations  with  Assyria." 

"  But  the  proofs?  " 

"  We  should  find  them  with  the  help  of  the  Phoenicians." 

44  Would  no  danger  come  of  that  to  Egypt?  " 

"None.  Four  hundred  years  ago  the  pharaoh,  Amenhotep 
IV.  overturned  the  power  of  priests  by  establishing  the  faith 
in  one  god,  Re  Harmachis.  It  is  understandable  that  in  those 
conditions  he  took  treasures  from  the  temples  of  the  other  gods. 
And  at  that  time  neither  the  people,  nor  the  army,  nor  the 
nobility  took  part  with  the  priesthood.  What  would  the  case 
be  to-day  when  the  old  faith  is  greatly  weakened  ?  " 

u  Who  assisted  Amenhotep?  "  inquired  Rameses. 

44  A  simple  priest,  Ey." 

44  But  who,  on  the  death  of  Amenhotep,  became  his  heir?" 
asked  Rameses,  looking  quickly  into  the  eyes  of  the  priest. 

8 amenta  answered,  calmly,  — 

4'  Events  show  that  Amenhotep  was  incompetent,  more 
occupied  in  honoring  Re  than  in  governing  Egypt." 

44  Indeed,  thou  art  a  real  sage!"  said  Rameses. 

44  At  thy  service,  holiness." 

'4I  appoint  thee  my  counsellor,"  said  the  pharaoh.  '4  In 
that  case  thou  mayst  visit  me  in  secret,  and  thou  wilt  dwell 
with  me." 

44  Pardon,  lord,  but  until  the  members  of  the  supreme  coun 
cil  are  in  prison  for  negotiating  with  enemies  of  Egypt,  my 
presence  in  the  palace  would  bring  more  harm  than  profit.  So 
I  will  serve  thee,  holiness,  and  advise,  but  in  secret." 

4 'And  wilt  thou  find  the  way  to  the  treasure  in  the  laby 
rinth  ?  " 

44  I  hope,  lord,  that  before  thou  returnest  from  Thebes,  I 
shall  succeed  in  this  matter.  But  when  we  transfer  the 
treasure  to  thy  palace,  when  the  court  condemns  Herhor  and 
Mefres  whom  thou  mayst  pardon  afterward,  with  permission.  I 
will  appear  openly  and  cease  to  be  the  priest  of  Set,  who  only 
frightens  people  and  turns  them  from  me." 

44  And  dost  thou  think    that  everything  will  go  well?" 

44 1  pledge  my  life  on  it!"  cried  the  priest.  4'The  people 
Vve  thee,  holiness,  so  it  is  easy  to  influence  them  against  trai- 

35 


546  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

torous  dignitaries.  The  army  obeys  thee  as  no  army  has 
obeyed  a  pharaoh  since  Rameses  the  Great.  Who  will  oppose, 
then?  In  addition,  holiness,  thou  hast  the  Phoenicians  behind 
thee,  and  money,  the  greatest  power  on  earth." 

When  Samentu  took  farewell,  the  pharaoh  permitted  him  to 
kiss  his  feet,  and  gave  him  a  heavy  gold  chain  and  a  brace 
let  ornamented  with  sapphires.  Not  every  dignitary  received 
such  favor  after  long  years  of  service.  The  visit  and 
Samentti's  promises  filled  the  pharaoh's  heart  with  new  hope. 

What  if  he  should  succeed  in  getting  the  treasure  of  the 
labyrinth !  For  a  small  part  of  it  he  might  free  the  nobles 
from  Phoenician  debts,  improve  the  lot  of  the  laborers  and 
redeem  the  mortgaged  property  of  the  court. 

And  with  what  edifices  might  the  state  be  enriched ! 

Hence  the  treasure  of  this  labyrinth  might  remove  all  the 
pharaoh's  troubles.  For  what  was  the  result  of  a  great  loan 
from  the  Phoenicians?  It  would  be  necessary  to  pay  a  loan 
some  time,  and,  sooner  or  later,  mortgage  the  rest  of  the  pha 
raoh's  property.  That  was  merely  to  defer  ruin,  not  avoid  it. 


CHAPTER   LVI 

IN  the  middle  of  the  month  Famenut  (January)  spring 
began.  All  Egypt  was  green  with  growing  wheat.  On 
black  patches  of  land  crowds  of  men  were  sowing  lupines, 
beans,  and  barley.  In  the  air  was  the  odor  of  orange  blossoms. 
The  water  had  fallen  greatly  and  new  bits  of  land  were  laid 
bare  day  by  day. 

Preparations  for  the  funeral  of  Osiris-Mer-Amen-Rameses 
were  ended. 

The  revered  mummy  of  the  pharaoh  was  inclosed  in  a  white 
box,  the  upper  part  of  which  repeated  perfectly  the  features 
of  the  departed.  The  pharaoh  seemed  to  see  with  enamelled 
eyes,  while  the  god-like  face  expressed  a  mild  regret,  not  for 
the  world  which  the  ruler  had  left,  but  for  the  people  con 
demned  to  the  sufferings  of  temporal  existence.  On  its  head 
the  image  of  the  pharaoh  had  an  Egyptian  cap  with  white  and 
sapphire  stripes ;  on  its  neck,  a  string  of  jewels ;  on  its  breast, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  547 

the  picture  of  a  man  kneeling  with  crossed  hands ;  on  its  legs, 
images  of  the  gods,  sacred  birds,  and  eyes,  not  set  into  any 
face,  but,  as  it  were,  gazing  out  of  infinity. 

Thus  arrayed,  the  remains  of  the  pharaoh  rested  on  a  costly 
couch  in  a  small  cedar  chapel,  the  walls  of  which  were  covered 
with  inscriptions  celebrating  the  life  and  deeds  of  the  departed 
sovereign.  Above  hovered  a  miraculous  falcon  with  a  human 
head,  and  near  the  couch  night  and  day  watched  a  priest 
clothed  as  Anubis,  the  god  of  burial,  with  a  jackal's  head  on 
his  body. 

A  heavy  basalt  sarcophagus  had  been  prepared  which  was 
to  be  the  outer  coffin  of  the  mummy.  This  sarcophagus  had 
also  the  form  and  features  of  the  dead  pharaoh.  It  was 
covered  with  inscriptions,  and  pictures  of  people  praying,  of 
sacred  birds  and  also  scarabs. 

On  the  17th  of  Famenut,  the  mummy,  together  with  its 
chapel  and  sarcophagus,  was  taken  from  the  quarter  of  the 
dead  to  the  palace  and  placed  in  the  largest  hall  there. 

This  hall  was  soon  filled  with  priests,  who  chanted  funeral 
hymns,  with  attendants  and  servants  of  the  departed,  and 
above  all  with  his  women,  who  screamed  so  vehemently  that 
their  cries  were  heard  across  the  river. 

4 '  O  lord !  thou  our  lord !  "  cried  they,  ' '  why  art  thou  leaving 
us?  Thou  so  kind,  so  beautiful.  Thou  art  silent  now,  thou 
who  didst  speak  to  us  so  willingly.  Thou  didst  incline  to  our 
society,  but  to-day  thou  art  far  from  us." 

During  this  time  the  priests  sang,  — 

Chorus  I.     "I  am  Turn,  who  alone  exists." 

Chorus  II.     "  I  am  Re,  in  his  earliest  splendor." 

Chorus  I.     "I  am  the  god  who  creates  himself." 

Chorus  II.  "  Who  gives  his  own  name  to  himself,  and  no 
one  among  the  gods  can  restrain  him." 

Chorus  I.  UI  know  the  name  of  the  great  god  who  is 
there." 

Chorus  II.  "  For  I  am  the  great  bird  Benu  which  tests  the 
existent."1 

After  two  days  of  groans  and  devotions  a  great  car  in  the 
form  of  a  boat  was  drawn  to  the  front  of  the  palace.  The 
1  "Book  of  the  Dead." 


548  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ends  of  this  car  were  adorned  with  ostrich  plumes  and  rams' 
heads,  while  above  a  costly  baldachin  towered  an  eagle,  and 
there  also  was  the  ureus  serpent,  symbol  of  the  pharaoh's  do 
minion.  On  this  car  was  placed  the  sacred  mummy,  in  spite  of 
the  wild  resistance  of  court  women.  Some  of  them  held  to 
the  coffin,  others  implored  the  priests  not  to  take  their  good 
lord  from  them,  still  others  scratched  their  own  faces,  tore 
their  hair,  and  even  beat  the  men  who  carried  the  remains  of 
the  pharaoh. 

The  outcry  was  terrible. 

At  last  the  car,  when  it  had  received  the  divine  body, 
moved  on  amid  a  multitude  of  people  who  occupied  the  im 
mense  space  from  the  palace  to  the  river.  There  were  people 
smeared  with  mud,  torn,  covered  with  mourning  rags,  people 
who  cried  in  heaven-piercing  voices.  At  the  side  of  these, 
according  to  mourning  ritual,  were  disposed,  along  the  whole 
road,  choruses. 

Chorus  I.  "To  the  West,  to  the  mansion  of  Osiris,  to  the 
West  art  thou  going,  thou  who  wert  the  best  among  men,  who 
didst  hate  the  untrue." 

Chorus  II.  "  Going  West!  There  will  not  be  another  who 
will  so  love  the  truth,  and  who  will  so  hate  a  lie." 

Chorus  of  charioteers.  "  To  the  West,  oxen,  ye  are  drawing 
the  funeral  car,  to  the  West!  Our  lord  is  going  after  you." 

Chorus  III.  "  To  the  West,  to  the  West,  to  the  land  of  the 
just !  The  cities  which  thou  didst  love  are  groaning  and 
weeping  behind  thee." 

The  throng  of  people.  "Go  in  peace  to  Abydos  !  Go  in 
peace  to  Abydos  !  Go  thou  in  peace  to  the  Theban  West !  " 

Chorus  of  female  wallers.  "O  our  lord,  O  our  lord,  thou 
art  going  to  the  West,  the  gods  themselves  are  weeping." 

Chorus  of  priests.  "He  is  happy,  the  most  revered  among 
men,  for  fate  has  permitted  him  to  rest  in  the  tomb  which  he 
himself  has  constructed." 

Chorus  of  drivers.  "  To  the  West,  oxen,  ye  are  drawing  the 
car,  to  the  West !  Our  lord  is  going  behind  thee." 

The  throng  of  people.  u  Go  in  peace  to  Abydos !  Go  in 
peace  to  Abydos,  to  the  western  sea."  * 

1  Authentic  expression. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  549 

Every  couple  of  hundred  yards  a  division'  of  troops  was 
stationed  which  greeted  the  lord  with  muffled  drums,  and  took 
farewell  with  a  shrill  sound  of  trumpets. 

That  was  not  a  funeral,  but  a  triumphal  march  to  the  land 
of  divinities. 

At  a  certain  distance  behind  the  car  went  Rameses  XIII., 
surrounded  by  a  great  suite  of  generals,  and  behind  him  Queen 
Nikotris  leaning  on  two  court  ladies.  Neither  the  son  nor  the 
mother  wept,  for  it  was  known  to  them  then  (the  common 
people  were  not  aware  of  this),  that  the  late  pharaoh  was  at 
the  side  of  Osiris  and  was  so  satisfied  with  his  stay  in  the  land 
of  delight  that  he  had  no  wish  to  return  to  an  earthly  existence. 

After  a  procession  of  two  hours  which  was  attended  by 
unbroken  cries,  the  car  with  the  remains  halted  on  the  bank 
of  the  Nile.  There  the  remains  were  removed  from  the  boat- 
shaped  car  and  borne  to  a  real  barge  gilded,  carved,  covered 
with  pictures,  and  furnished  with  white  and  purple  sails. 

The  court  ladies  made  one  more  attempt  to  take  the  mummy 
from  the  priests;  again  were  heard  all  the  choruses  and  the 
military  music.  After  that  the  lady  Nikotris  and  some  priests 
entered  the  barge  which  bore  the  royal  mummy,  the  people 
hurled  bouquets  and  garlands  —  and  the  oars  began  to  plash. 

Rameses  XII.  had  left  his  palace  for  the  last  time  and  was 
moving  on  the  Nile  toward  his  tomb  in  Theban  mountains. 
But  on  the  way  it  was  his  duty,  like  a  thoughtful  ruler,  to 
enter  all  the  famed  places  and  take  farewell  of  them. 

The  journey  lasted  long.  Thebes  was  five  hundred  miles 
distant  higher  up  the  river,  along  which  the  mummy  had  to 
visit  between  ten  and  twenty  temples  and  take  part  in  religious 
ceremonies. 

Some  days  after  the  departure  of  Rameses  XII.  to  his  eternal 
rest,  Rameses  XIII.  moved  after  him  to  rouse  from  sorrow  by 
his  presence  the  torpid  hearts  of  his  subjects,  receive  their 
homage  and  give  offerings  to  divinities. 

Behind  the  dead  pharaoh,  each  on  his  own  barge,  went  all  the 
high  priests,  many  of  the  senior  priests,  the  richest  landholders, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  nomarchs.  So  the  new  pharaoh 
thought,  not  without  sorrow,  that  his  retinue  would  be  very 
slender. 


550  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

But  it  happened  otherwise.  At  the  side  of  Rameses  XIII. 
were  all  the  generals,  very  many  officials,  many  of  the  smaller 
nobility  and  all  the  minor  priests,  which  more  astonished  than 
comforted  the  pharaoh. 

This  was  merely  the  beginning.  For  when  the  barge  of  the 
youthful  sovereign  sailed  out  on  the  Nile  there  came  to  meet 
him  such  a  mass  of  boats,  great  and  small,  rich  and  poor,  that 
they  almost  hid  the  water.  Sitting  in  those  barges  were  naked 
families  of  earth-tillers  and  artisans,  well-dressed  merchants, 
Phoenicians  in  bright  garments,  adroit  Greek  sailors,  and  even 
Assyrians  and  Hittites. 

The  people  of  this  throng  did  not  shout,  they  howled;  they 
were  not  delighted,  they  were  frantic.  Every  moment  some 
deputation  broke  its  way  to  the  pharaoh's  barge  to  kiss  the 
deck  which  his  feet  had  touched,  and  to  lay  gifts  before  him : 
a  handful  of  wheat,  a  bit  of  cloth,  a  simple  earthen  pitcher, 
a  pair  of  birds,  but,  above  all,  a  bunch  of  flowers.  So  that 
before  the  pharaoh  had  passed  Memphis,  his  attendants  were 
forced  repeatedly  to  clear  the  barge  of  gifts  and  thus  save  it 
from  sinking. 

The  younger  priests  said  to  one  another  that  except  Rameses 
the  Great  no  pharaoh  had  ever  been  greeted  with  such  bound 
less  enthusiasm. 

The  whole  journey  from  Memphis  to  Thebes  was  conducted 
in  a  similar  manner  and  the  enthusiasm  of  people  rose  instead 
of  decreasing.  Earth-tillers  left  the  fields  and  artisans  the 
shops  to  delight  themselves  with  looking  at  the  new  sovereign 
of  whose  intentions  legends  were  already  created.  They  ex 
pected  great  changes,  though  no  one  knew  what  these  changes 
might  be.  This  alone  was  undoubted,  that  the  severity  of 
officials  had  decreased,  that  Phoenicians  collected  rent  in  a  less 
absolute  manner,  and  the  Egyptian  people,  always  so  sub 
missive,  had  begun  to  raise  their  heads  when  priests  met 
them. 

"  Only  let  the  pharaoh  permit,"  said  people  in  inns,  fields 
and  markets,  "and  we  will  introduce  order  among  the  holy 
fathers.  Because  of  them  we  pay  immense  taxes,  and  the 
wounds  on  our  backs  are  always  open." 

Among    the  Libyan    hills,   about   thirty-five  miles  south  of 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  551 

Memphis,  lay  the  country  of  Piom  or  Fayum,  wonderful  through 
this,  that  human  hands  had  made  it. 

There  was  formerly  in  this  province  a  sunken  desert  sur 
rounded  by  naked  hills.  The  pharaoh  Amenhemat  first  con 
ceived  the  daring  plan  of  changing  this  place  into  a  fruitful 
region,  three  thousand  five  hundred  years  before  the  Christian 
era. 

With  this  object  he  divided  the  eastern  part  of  the  depres 
sion  from  the  rest  and  put  a  mighty  dam  around  it.  This  dam 
was  about  eight  metres  high,  one  hundred  yards  thick  at  the 
base,  and  its  length  more  than  four  hundred  kilometres. 

In  this  way  was  created  a  reservoir  which  held  three  milliards 
of  cubic  metres  of  water,  the  surface  of  which  occupied  about 
three  hundred  square  kilometres.  This  reservoir  served  to 
irrigate  two  hundred  thousand  hectares  of  land,  and  besides,  in 
time  of  overflow,  it  took  in  the  excess  of  water  and  guaranteed 
a  considerable  part  of  Egypt  from  sudden  inundation. 

This  immense  collection  of  water  was  called  Lake  Moeris, 
and  was  considered  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  Thanks 
to  it  a  desert  valley  was  changed  into  the  fertile  laud  of  Piom, 
where  about  two  hundred  thousand  people  lived  in  comfort. 
In  this  province,  besides  palms  and  wheat,  were  produced  the 
most  beautiful  roses ;  oil  made  from  these  went  to  all  Egypt, 
and  beyond  its  boundaries. 

The  existence  of  Lake  Moeris  was  connected  with  another 
wonder  among  works  of  Egyptian  engineers,  Joseph's  canal. 
This  canal,  two  hundred  yards  wide,  extended  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  kilometres  along  the  western  side  of  the  Nile. 
It  was  situated  fifteen  kilometres  from  the  river,  served  to 
irrigate  lands  near  the  Libyan  mountains,  arid  conveyed  water 
to  Lake  Moeris. 

Around  the  country  of  Piom  rose  a  number  of  ancient  pyra 
mids  and  a  multitude  of  smaller  tombs.  On  its  eastern  boun 
dary  was  the  celebrated  Labyrinth  (Lope-rohunt).  This  was 
built  also  by  Amenhemat  and  had  the  form  of  an  immense 
horseshoe.  It  occupied  an  area  one  thousand  yards  long  and 
six  hundred  wide. 

This  edifice  was  the  great  treasure-house  of  Egypt.  In  it 
reposed  the  mummies  of  several  famous  pharaohs,  renowned 


552  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

priests,  generals,  and  architects.  Here  lay  the  remains  of 
revered  animals,  —  above  all,  those  of  crocodiles.  And  here 
was  kept  the  property  of  the  Egyptian  state,  brought  together 
in  the  course  of  ages.  Of  this  structure  it  is  difficult  to  gain 
an  idea  at  present. 

The  labyrinth  was  neither  inaccessible  from  the  outside,  nor 
watched  over-carefully ;  it  was  guarded  by  a  small  division  of 
troops  attached  to  the  priests,  and  some  priests  of  tried 
honesty.  The  safety  of  the  treasury  lay  specially  in  this  that 
with  the  exception  of  those  few  persons,  no  one  knew  where  to 
look  for  it  in  the  labyrinth,  which  was  divided  into  two  stories, 
one  above  ground,  the  other  subterranean,  and  in  each  of  these 
there  were  fifteen  hundred  chambers. 

Each  pharaoh,  each  high  priest,  finally  each  treasurer  and 
supreme  judge  was  bound  to  examine  with  his  own  63*68  the 
property  of  the  state  immediately  after  entering  on  his  office. 
Still,  no  one  of  the  dignitaries  could  find  it,  or  even  learn 
where  the  treasure  lay,  whether  in  the  main  body  of  the  build 
ing  or  in  some  of  its  wings,  above  the  earth  or  beneath  it. 

There  were  some  to  whom  it  seemed  that  the  treasure  was 
really  underground,  far  away  from  the  labyrinth  proper. 
There  were  even  some  who  thought  that  the  treasure  was 
beneath  the  lake,  so  that  it  might  be  submerged  should  the 
need  come.  Finally  no  dignitary  of  the  state  cared  to  occupy 
himself  with  the  question,  knowing  that  an  attack  on  the  prop 
erty  of  the  gods  drew  after  it  ruin  to  the  sacrilegious.  The 
uninitiated  might  have  discovered  the  road,  perhaps,  if  fear 
had  not  paralyzed  intruders.  Death  in  this  world  and  the 
next  threatened  him  and  his  family  who  should  dare  with 
godless  plans  to  discover  such  secrets. 

Arriving  in  those  parts  Rameses  XIII.  visited  first  of  all  the 
province  of  Fayum.  In  his  eyes  it  seemed  like  the  interior  of 
some  immense  bowl,  the  bottom  of  which  was  a  lake  and  hills 
the  edges.  Whithersoever  he  turned  he  found  green  juicy 
grass  varied  with  flowers,  groups  of  palms,  groves  of  fig- 
trees  and  tamarinds,  amid  which  from  sunrise  to  sunset  were 
heard  the  singing  of  birds  and  the  voices  of  gladsome  people. 

That  was  perhaps  the  happiest  corner  of  Egypt. 

The    people    received  the  pharaoh    with    boundless   delight. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST  553 

They  covered  him  and  his  retinue  with  flowers,  they  presented 
him  with  a  number  of  vessels  of  the  costliest  perfumes  as  well 
as  gold  and  precious  stones  to  the  amount  of  ten  talents. 

Rameses  spent  two  days  in  that  pleasant  region  where  joy 
seemed  to  blossom  on  the  trees,  flow  in  the  air,  and  look  over 
the  waters  of  Lake  Moeris.  But  men  reminded  him  that  he 
should  see  the  labyrinth  also. 

He  left  Fayum  with  a  sigh  and  gazed  around  as  he  travelled. 
Soon  his  attention  was  fixed  by  a  majestic  pile  of  gray  build 
ings  which  stood  on  an  eminence. 

At  the  gate  of  the  famous  labyrinth  Rameses  was  greeted 
by  a  company  of  priests  of  ascetic  exterior,  and  a  small  divi 
sion  of  troops,  every  man  in  which  was  completely  shaven. 

'•  These  men  look  like  priests,"  said  Rameses. 

"They  do,  because  every  one  in  the  ranks  has  received  the 
inferior  ordination,  and  centurions  the  superior,"  answered 
the  high  priest  of  the  edifice. 

When  he  looked  more  carefully  at  the  faces  of  those  strange 
warriors,  who  ate  no  meat  and  wrere  celibates,  the  pharaoh 
noted  in  them  calm  energy  and  quickness,  he  noted  also  that 
his  sacred  person  made  no  impression  whatever  in  that  place. 

"I  am  very  curious  to  learn  how  Samentu's  secret  plan  will 
succeed,"  thought  he.  The  pharaoh  understood  that  it  was 
impossible  either  to  frighten  those  men  or  to  bribe  them. 
They  were  as  self-confident  in  looks  as  if  each  one  com 
manded  countless  regiments  of  spirits. 

"  We  shall  see,"  thought  Rameses,  "  if  they  can  frighten  my 
Greeks  and  Asiatics,  who,  fortunately,  are  so  wild  that  they 
do  not  know  pompous  faces." 

At  the  request  of  the  priests,  the  pharaoh' s  suite  remained  at 
the  gate,  as  if  under  guard  of  the  shaven  soldiers. 

"  Must  I  leave  my  sword  too?  "  asked  Rameses. 

"  It  will  not  harm  us,"  answered  the  chief  overseer. 

The  young  pharaoh  had  the  wish  at  least  to  slap  the  pious 
man  with  the  side  of  his  sword  for  such  an  answer,  but  he 
restrained  himself. 

Rameses  and  the  priests  entered  the  main  building  by  an  im 
mense  court  and  passed  between  two  rows  of  sphinxes.  Here 
in  a  very  spacious,  but  somewhat  dark,  antechamber  were  eight 
doors,  and  the  overseer  inquired,  — 


554  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"Through  which  door  dost  thou  wish  to  go  to  the  treasure, 
holiness  ?  " 

u  Through  that  by  which  we  can  go  the  most  quickly." 

Each  of  five  priests  took  two  bundles  of  torches,  but  only 
one  ignited  a  torch. 

At  his  side  stood  the  chief  overseer  holding  in  his  hands  a 
large  string  of  beads  on  which  were  written  certain  characters. 
Behind  them  walked  Rameses  surrounded  by  three  priests. 

The  high  priest  who  held  the  beads  turned  to  the  right  and 
entered  a  great  hall,  the  walls  and  columns  of  which  were  cov 
ered  with  inscriptions  and  figures.  From  that  they  entered  a 
narrow  corridor,  which  led  upward,  and  found  themselves  in  a 
hall  distinguished  by  a  great  number  of  doors.  Here  a  tablet 
was  pushed  aside  in  the  floor,  discovering  an  opening  through 
which  they  descended,  and  again  advanced  through  a  narrow 
corridor  to  a  chamber  which  had  no  doors.  But  the  guide 
touched  one  hieroglyph  of  many,  and  the  wall  moved  aside 
before  them. 

Rameses  tried  to  remember  the  direction  in  which  they  were 
going,  but  soon  his  attention  was  bewildered.  He  noted,  how 
ever,  that  they  passed  hurriedly  through  great  halls,  small 
chambers,  narrow  corridors,  that  they  climbed  up  or  descended, 
that  some  halls  had  a  multitude  of  doors  and  others  none  what 
ever.  He  observed  at  once  that  the  guide  at  each  new  entrance 
dropped  one  bead  from  his  long  rosary,  and  sometimes,  by  the 
light  of  the  torch,  he  compared  the  indications  on  the  beads 
with  those  on  the  walls. 

"Where  are  we  now?"  asked  the  pharaoh  on  a  sudden, 
"beneath  the  earth,  or  above  it?" 

"  We  are  in  the  power  of  the  gods  !  "  replied  his  neighbor. 

After  a  number  of  turns  and  passages  the  pharaoh  again 
said,  — 

"  But  I  think  that  we  are  here  for  the  second  time." 

The  priests  were  silent,  but  he  who  carried  the  torch  held  his 
light  to  the  walls  in  one  and  another  place,  and  Rameses,  while 
looking,  confessed  in  spirit  that  they  had  not  been  there  before. 

In  a  small  chamber  without  doors  they  lowered  the  light,  and 
the  pharaoh  saw  on  the  pavement  dried,  black  remains,  covered 
with  decayed  clothing. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  555 

44  That,"  said  the  overseer  of  the  building,  "  is  the  body  of  a 
Phoenician  who,  during  the  sixteenth  dynasty,  tried  to  break 
into  the  labyrinth  ;  he  got  thus  far." 

"  Did  they  kill  him?"  inquired  Rameses. 

44  He  died  of  hunger." 

The  party  had  advanced  again  about  half  an  hour,  when  the 
priest  who  bore  the  torch  lighted  a  niche  in  the  corridor  where 
also  dried  remains  were  lying. 

"  This,"  said  the  overseer,  "  is  the  body  of  a  Nubian  priest, 
who  in  the  time  of  thy  grandfather,  holiness,  tried  to  enter  the 
labyrinth." 

The  pharaoh  made  no  inquiry  as  to  what  happened  to  this 
man.  He  had  the  impression  of  being  in  some  depth  and 
the  feeling  that  the  edifice  would  crush  him.  Of  taking  bear 
ings  amid  those  hundreds  of  corridors,  halls,  and  chambers,  he 
had  no  thought  any  longer.  He  did  not  even  wish  to  explain  to 
himself  by  what  miracle  those  stone  walls  opened,  or  why  pave 
ments  sank  before  him. 

"  Samentu  will  do  nothing,"  said  he  in  spirit.  "He  will 
perish  like  these  two,  whom  I  must  even  mention  to  him." 

Such  a  crushing,  such  a  feeling  of  helplessness  and  nothing 
ness  he  had  never  experienced.  At  moments  it  seemed  to  him 
that  the  priests  would  leave  him  in  one  of  those  narrow  door- 
less  chambers.  Then  despair  seized  the  young  pharaoh ;  he 
touched  his  sword  and  was  ready  to  cut  them  down.  But  he 
remembered  directly  that  without  their  assistance  he  could  not 
go  hence,  and  he  dropped  his  head. 

44  Oh  to  see  the  light  of  day,  even  for  a  moment !  How  ter 
rible  must  death  be  among  three  thousand  rooms  filled  with 
gloom  or  utter  darkness ! " 

Heroic  souls  have  moments  of  deep  depression  which  the 
common  man  cannot  even  imagine. 

The  advance  had  lasted  an  hour  almost  wrhen  at  last  they 
entered  a  low  hall  resting  on  octagonal  pillars.  The  three 
priests  surrounding  the  pharaoh,  separated  —  then  Rameses 
noticed  that  one  of  them  nestled  up  to  a  column  and  vanished, 
as  it  were,  in  the  interior  of  it. 

After  a  while  a  narrow  opening  appeared  in  one  of  the  walls, 
the  priests  returned  to  their  places,  and  the  guide  commanded 


556  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

to  light  four  torches.  All  turned  toward  that  opening  and 
pushed  through  it  cautiously. 

44  Here  are  the  chambers,"  said  the  overseer. 

The  priests  lighted  quickly  torches  which  were  fixed  to  the 
walls  and  columns.  Rameses  saw  a  series  of  immense  chambers 
filled  with  most  varied  products  of  priceless  value.  In  this  col 
lection  every  dynasty,  if  not  every  pharaoh,  had  placed  from 
what  he  or  it  possessed,  that  which  was  most  peculiar,  or  which 
had  the  most  value. 

There  were  chariots,  boats,  beds,  tables,  caskets,  and  thrones 
gold  or  covered  with  gold  plate,  also  inlaid  with  ivory,  mother- 
of-pearl  and  colored  wood  so  ornamentally  that  artists  must 
have  worked  tens  of  years  at  them.  There  were  weapons, 
shields  and  quivers  glittering  with  jewels.  There  were 
pitchers,  plates,  and  spoons  of  pure  gold,  costly  robes,  and 
baldachins. 

All  this  treasure,  thanks  to  dry  and  pure  air,  was  preserved 
without  change  during  ages. 

Among  rare  objects  the  pharaoh  saw  the  silver  model  of  the 
Assyrian  palace  brought  to  Rameses  XII.  by  Sargon.  The 
high  priest,  while  explaining  to  the  pharaoh  whence  each  gift 
came,  looked  at  his  face  diligently.  But  in  place  of  admiration 
for  the  treasures,  he  noticed  dissatisfaction. 

"Tell  me,  worthiness,"  inquired  Rameses  on  a  sudden, 
44  what  good  comes  of  these  treasures  shut  up  in  darkness?" 

"  Should  Egypt  be  in  danger  there  would  be  great  power  in 
them,"  replied  the  overseer.  "  For  a  few  of  these  helmets,  char 
iots  and  swords  we  might  buy  the  good-will  of  all  the  Assyrian 
satraps.  And  maybe  even  King  Assar  himself  would  not 
resist  if  we  gave  him  furniture  for  his  throne  hall,  or  his 
arsenal." 

"I  think  that  they  would  rather  take  all  from  us  by  the 
sword  than  a  few  through  good-will,"  said  the  pharaoh. 

44  Let  them  try !  "  replied  the  priest. 

44 1  understand.  Ye  have  then  means  of  destroying  the 
treasures.  But  in  that  case  no  one  could  make  use  of  them." 

"  That  is  not  a  question  for  my  mind,"  replied  the  overseer. 
44  We  guard  what  is  given  to  us,  and  do  what  is  ordered." 

44  Would  it  not  be  better  to  use  a  portion  of  these  treasures 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  557 

to  fill  the  coffers  of  the  state  and  raise  Egypt  from  the  misery 
in  which  it  is  at  present?"  asked  the  pharaoh. 

"  That  does  not  depend  on  us." 

Rameses  frowned.  He  examined  things  for  some  time  with 
out  very  great  interest ;  at  last  he  inquired,  — 

"  Yes,  these  products  of  art  might  be  useful  in  gaining  the 
good-will  of  Assyrian  dignitaries  ;  but  if  war  were  to  break  out 
with  Assyria  how  could  we  get  wheat,  men,  and  arms  from 
nations  which  have  no  knowledge  of  rare  objects?" 

u  Open  the  treasury,"  said  the  high  priest. 

At  this  time  the  priests  hurried  in  different  directions :  two 
vanished  as  if  in  the  interior  of  columns,  while  a  third  went 
up  along  the  wall  on  steps  and  did  something  near  a  carved 
figure- 

Again  a,  hidden  door  slipped  aside  and  Rameses  entered  the 
real  hall  of  treasure. 

That  was  a  spacious  room  filled  with  priceless  objects. 
In  it  were  earthen  jars  containing  gold  dust,  lumps  of  gold 
piled  up  like  bricks,  and  ingots  of  gold  in  packages.  Blocks 
of  silver  stored  at  one  side  formed,  as  it  were,  a  wall  two  ells 
thick  and  as  high  as  the  ceiling.  In  niches  and  on  stone 
tables  lay  precious  stones  of  every  color :  rubies,  topazes, 
emeralds,  sapphires,  diamonds,  pearls  as  large  as  nuts  and 
even  as  birds'  eggs.  There  were  single  jewels  which  equalled 
a  town  in  value. 

"This  is  our  property  in  case  of  misfortune,"  said  the  overseer. 

"For  what  misfortune  are  ye  waiting?"  inquired  the 
pharaoh.  <"  The  people  are  poor,  the  nobility  and  the  court 
are  in  debt,  the  army  decreased  one  half,  the  pharaoh  without 
money.  Has  Egypt  ever  been  in  a  worse  position  ?  " 

"  It  was  in  a  worse  position  when  the  Ilyksos  conquered  it." 

"In  a  few  years,"  replied  Rameses,  "even  the  Israelites 
will  conquer  this  country  unless  the  Libyans  and  Ethiopians 
precede  them.  And  then  these  beautiful  stones,  broken  into 
pieces,  will  go  to  ornament  the  sandals  of  black  men  and 
Hebrews." 

"  Be  at  rest,  holiness.  In  case  of  need  not  only  the  treasure 
itself,  but  the  labyrinth  would  vanish  without  a  trace,  together 
with  its  guardians." 


558  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Rameses  understood  thoroughly  that  he  had  before  him 
fanatics  who  thought  only  of  this:  not  to  let  an}7  one  possess 
that  treasure.  He  sat  down  on  a  pile  of  gold  bricks,  and 
continued,  — 

"  Then  ye  are  preserving  this  property  for  evil  days  in 
Egypt?" 

"  Thou  speakest  truth,  holiness." 

"But  who  will  convince  you,  its  guardians,  that  those  days 
have  come  when  they  are  really  present?  " 

"To  do  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  call  an  extraordi 
nary  assembly  of  Egyptians,  an  assembly  made  up  of  the 
pharaoh,  thirteen  priests  of  the  highest  degree,  thirteen 
nomarchs,  thirteen  nobles,  thirteen  officers,  and  thirteen  of 
each  of  the  following:  merchants,  artisans,  and  earth-tillers." 

"Then  ye  would  give  to  such  an  assembly  the  treasures?  " 
asked  the  pharaoh. 

"  We  would  give  the  necessary  sum  if  the  whole  assembly, 
as  one  man,  decided  that  Egypt  was  in  danger,  and  — " 

"And  what?" 

"If  the  statue  of  Amon  in  Thebes  confirmed  that  decision." 

Rameses  dropped  his  head  as  if  to  hide  his  great  satisfaction. 

He  had  a  plan  ready. 

"I  shall  be  able  to  collect  such  an  assembly  and  incline  it 
to  unanimity,"  thought  the  pharaoh.  "Also  it  seems  to  me 
the  divine  statue  of  Amon  will  confirm  the  decision  if  I  put 
my  Asiatics  around  it." 

"  I  thank  you,  pious  men,"  said  he  aloud,  "  for  showing  me 
these  precious  things,  the  great  value  of  which  does  not  prevent 
me  from  being  one  among  the  poorest  of  sovereigns.  And  now 
I  beg  you  to  lead  me  hence  by  the  shortest  way  possible  and  the 
most  convenient." 

"  We  wish  thee,  holiness,  to  double  the  wealth  of  the  labyrinth. 
As  to  the  road,  there  is  only  one,  we  must  return  as  we  came." 

One  of  the  priests  gave  Rameses  dates,  another  a  flask  of 
wine  mixed  with  some  invigorating  substance.  Then  the 
pharaoh  recovered  strength  and  went  forward  cheerfully. 

"I  would  give  much,"  said  he,  laughing,  "to  know  all  the 
turns  of  this  wonderful  passage." 

The  guiding  priest  stopped,  — 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  559 

"I  assure  thee,  holiness,  that  we  ourselves  do  not  under 
stand  or  remember  this  road,  though  each  one  of  us  has  entered 
a  number  of  times  by  it." 

"  Then  how  do  ye  manage?  " 

"We  have  certain  indications,  but  if  one  of  these  were  to 
fail  us,  even  at  this  moment  we  should  die  here  of  hunger." 

They  reached  the  antechamber  at  last  and  through  it  the 
courtyard,  llameses  looked  around  and  drew  one  breath  of 
relief  after  another. 

"  For  all  the  treasures  of  the  labyrinth  I  would  not  guard 
them!"  cried  he.  "Terror  falls  on  my  breast  when  I  think 
that  it  is  possible  to  die  in  those  stone  prisons." 

"But  it  is  possible  to  grow  attached  to  them,"  replied  the 
priest  smiling. 

The  pharaoh  thanked  each  of  his  guides,  and  concluded,  — 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  show  you  some  favor;  ask  for  one." 

The  priests  listened  with  indifference,  and  their  chief  an 
swered,  — 

"  Pardon  me,  holiness,  but  what  could  we  wish  for?  Our  figs 
and  dates  are  as  sweet  as  those  in  thy  garden,  our  water  is  as 
good  as  that  from  thy  well.  If  wealth  attracted  us  have  we 
not  more  of  it  than  all  the  kings  put  together?  " 

"  I  cannot  win  these  men  by  anything,"  thought  the  pharaoh, 
"  but  I  will  give  them  a  decision  of  the  assembly,  and  a 
decision  of  Amon." 


CHAPTER   LVII 

WHEN  he  left  Fayum  the  pharaoh  and  his  retinue 
advanced  southward  a  number  of  days  up  the  Nile, 
surrounded  by  a  throng  of  boats,  greeted  by  shouts,  and  covered 
with  flowers. 

On  both  banks  of  the  river,  on  a  background  of  green  fields, 
extended  an  unbroken  series  of  huts  of  the  people,  groves  of 
fig  trees,  groups  of  palms.  Every  hour  appeared  the  white 
houses  of  some  village,  or  a  larger  place  with  colored  buildings, 
and  the  immense  pylons  of  temples. 

On  the  west  the  wall  of  the  Libyan  hills  was  outlined  not 


560  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

very  distinctly ;  but  on  the  east  the  Arabian  line  approached 
ever"  nearer  to  the  river.  It  was  possible  to  see  clearly  the 
steep,  jagged  cliffs,  dark,  yellow  or  rose  colored,  recalling  by 
their  forms  the  ruins  of  fortresses  or  of  temples  built  by  giants. 

In  the  middle  of  the  Nile  they  met  islands  which  had  risen 
from  the  water  as  it  were  yesterday,  but  were  covered  with  rich 
vegetation  to-day  and  were  occupied  by  birds  in  countless  num 
bers.  When  the  noisy  retinue  of  the  pharaoh  sailed  near,  the 
frightened  birds  flew  up  and,  circling  above  the  boats,  joined 
their  cries  with  the  mighty  sound  of  people.  Above  this  all 
hung  a  transparent  sky  and  light  so  full  of  life  that  in  the  flood 
of  it  the  black  earth  assumed  a  brightness,  and  the  stones 
rainbow  colors. 

Time  passed,  therefore,  pleasantly  for  the  pharaoh.  At  first 
the  incessant  cries  irritated  him  somewhat,  but  later  he  grew  so 
accustomed  that  he  turned  no  attention  to  them.  He  was  able 
to  read  documents,  take  counsel,  and  even  sleep. 

From  a  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  miles  above  Fayum 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Nile  is  Siut,  where  Rameses  XIII.  took  a 
rest  of  two  days.  He  was  even  obliged  to  halt  there,  for  the 
mummy  of  the  late  pharaoh  was  still  in  Abydos,  where  they 
were  making  solemn  prayers  at  the  grave  of  Osiris. 

Siut  was  one  of  the  richest  parts  of  Upper  Egypt.  At  that 
place  were  made  the  famous  vessels  of  white  and  black  clay, 
and  there  they  wove  linen.  It  was  also  the  chief  market-place 
to  which  people  brought  goods  from  the  oases  scattered  through 
out  the  desert.  There  besides  was  the  famous  temple  of  the 
jackal-headed  god,  Anubis. 

On  the  second  day  of  his  stay  in  that  place  the  priest  Pentuer 
appeared  before  Rameses.  He  was  the  chief  of  that  commis 
sion  sent  to  investigate  the  condition  of  the  people. 

"  Hast  thou  news?"  inquired  the  sovereign. 

"  I  have  this,  O  holiness,  that  all  the  country  blesses  thee. 
All  with  whom  I  speak  are  full  of  hope,  and  say,  '  His  reign 
will  be  a  new  life  for  Egypt.' " 

"  I  wish,"  replied  Rameses,  "  my  subjects  to  be  happy ;  I  wish 
the  toiling  man  to  rest;  I  wish  that  Egypt  might  have  eight 
millions  of  people  as  aforetime  and  win  back  that  land  seized 
from  it  by  the  desert ;  I  wish  the  laborer  to  rest  one  day  in 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  561 

seven  and  each  man  who  digs  the   earth  to  have  some  little 
part  of  it." 

Pentuer  fell  on  his  face  before  the  kindly  sovereign. 

"  Rise,"  said  Rameses.  "  But  I  have  had  hours  of  grievous 
sadness  :  I  see  the  suffering  of  my  people  ;  I  wish  to  raise  them, 
but  the  treasury  is  empty.  Thou  thyself  knowest  best  that 
without  some  tens  of  thousands  of  talents  I  cannot  venture  on 
such  changes.  But  now  I  am  at  rest ;  I  can  get  the  needed 
treasure  from  the  labyrinth." 

Pentuer  looked  at  his  sovereign  with  amazement. 

44  The  overseer  of  the  treasure  explained  to  me  what  I  am  to 
do,"  said  the  pharaoh.  "  I  must  call  a  general  council  of  all 
orders,  thirteen  of  each  order.  And  if  they  declare  that  Egypt 
is  in  need  the  labyrinth  will  furnish  me  with  treasure." 

u  O  gods !  "  added  he,  "  for  a  couple  —  for  one  of  the  jewels 
which  lie  there  it  would  be  possible  to  give  the  people  fifty  rest 
days  in  a  year !  Never  will  they  be  used  to  better  purpose." 

Pentuer  shook  his  head. 

"Lord,"  said  he,  "the  six  million  Egyptians,  with  me  and 
my  friends  before  others,  will  agree  that  thou  take  from  that 
treasure.  But,  O  holiness,  be  not  deceived ;  one  hundred  of 
the  highest  dignitaries  of  the  state  will  oppose,  and  then  the 
labyrinth  will  give  nothing." 

"They  wish  me,  then,  to  beg  before  some  temple!"  burst 
out  the  pharaoh. 

"No,"  replied  the  priest.  "They  fear  lest  that  treasure 
house  be  emptied  once  thou  touch  it.  They  will  suspect  thy 
most  faithful  servants,  holiness,  of  sharing  in  the  profits  flowing 
from  the  labyrinth.  And  then  envy  will  whisper  to  each  of 
them:  'Why  shouldst  thou  not  profit  also?'  Not  hatred  of 
thee,  holiness,  but  mutual  distrust,  greed,  will  urge  them  to 
resistance." 

When  he  heard  this  the  pharaoh  was  calm,  he  smiled  even. 

"If  it  be  as  thou  sayst,  be  at  rest,  beloved  Pentuer.  At 
this  moment  I  understand  exactly  why  Amon  established  the 
authority  of  the  pharaoh  and  gave  him  superhuman  power. 
For  the  purpose,  seest  thou,  that  a  hundred,  even  of  the  most 
distinguished  rascals,  should  not  wreck  the  state." 

Rameses  rose  from  his  armchair  and  added,  — 

36 


562  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Say  to  my  people  :  Work  and  be  patient.  Say  to  the  priests 
who  are  loyal :  Serve  the  gods  and  cultivate  wisdom,  which  is 
the  sun  of  the  universe.  But  those  stubborn  and  suspicious 
dignitaries  leave  to  my  management.  Woe  to  them  if  they 
anger  me." 

"  Lord,"  said  the  priest,  "  I  am  thy  faithful  servant." 

But  when  he  had  taken  farewell  and  gone  out  care  was  evi 
dent  on  his  face. 

About  seventy-five  miles  from  Siut,  higher  up  the  Nile,  the 
wild  Arabian  rocks  almost  touch  the  river,  but  the  Libyan 
hills  have  pushed  away  so  far  from  it  that  the  valley  at  that 
point  is  perhaps  the  widest  part  of  Egypt.  Just  there,  side  by 
side,  stood  Tim's  and  Abydos,  two  holy  cities.  There  was 
born  the  first  Egyptian  pharaoh,  Menes,  there,  a  hundred  thou 
sand  years  before,  were  laid  in  the  grave  the  holy  relics  of  the 
god  Osiris  slain  by  Set  (his  brother  Typhou)  treacherously. 

There,  finally,  in  memory  of  those  great  events,  the  famous 
pharaoh  Seti  built  a  temple  to  which  pilgrims  came  from 
every  part  of  Egypt.  Each  believer  was  bound  even  once 
during  life  to  bring  his  forehead  to  the  blessed  earth  of  Abydos. 
Truly  happy  was  he  whose  mummy  could  make  a  journey  to 
that  place  and  halt  even  at  a  distance  from  the  temple. 

The  mummy  of  Rameses  XII.  spent  two  days  there  ;  for  he 
had  been  a  ruler  noted  for  devotion.  There  is  nothing  wonder 
ful  in  this,  therefore,  that  Rameses  XIII.  began  his  reign  by 
rendering  homage  to  the  grave  of  Osiris. 

Seti's  temple  was  not  among  the  oldest  or  most  splendid  in 
Egypt,  but  it  was  distinguished  for  pure  Egyptian  style.  His 
holiness  Rameses  XIII.,  accompanied  by  Sem  the  high  priest, 
visited  the  temple  and  made  offerings  in  it. 

The  ground  belonging  to  the  edifice  occupied  a  space  of 
seventy-five  hectares,  on  which  were  fish  ponds,  flower  beds, 
orchards  and  vegetable  gardens,  besides  the  houses  or  rather 
villas  of  the  temple  priesthood.  Everywhere  grew  poplars  and 
acacias,  as  well  as  palm,  fig,  and  orange  trees  which  formed 
alleys  directed  toward  the  cardinal  points  of  the  world,  or 
groups  of  trees  of  almost  the  same  height  and  set  out  in  order. 

Under  the  watchful  eyes  of  priests  even  the  plant  world  did 
not  develop  according  to  its  own  impulses  into  irregular  but 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE  PRIEST  563 

picturesque  groups ;  it  was  arranged  in  straight  lines  accord 
ing  to  direction,  or  straight  lines  according  to  height,  or  in 
geometrical  figures. 

Palms,  tamarinds,  cypresses,  and  myrtles  were  arranged  like 
warriors  in  ranks  or  columns.  The  grass  was  a  divan  shorn 
and  ornamented  with  pictures  made  of  flowers,  not  of  any 
chance  color,  but  of  that  color  which  was  demanded.  People 
looking  from  above  saw  pictures  of  gods  or  sacred  beasts  bloom 
ing  on  the  turf  near  the  temple  ;  a  sage  found  there  aphorisms 
written  out  in  hieroglyphs. 

The  central  part  of  the  gardens  occupied  a  rectangular  space 
nine  hundred  yards  long  and  three  hundred  wide.  This  space 
was  enclosed  by  a  wall  of  no  great  height  which  had  one  visible 
gate  and  a  number  of  secret  entrances.  Through  the  gate 
pious  people  entered  the  space  which  surrounded  the  dwelling 
of  Osiris ;  this  space  was  covered  with  a  stone  pavement.  Jn 
the  middle  of  the  space  stood  the  temple,  a  rectangular  pile 
four  hundred  and  fifty  yards  long  and  in  width  one  hundred 
and  fifty. 

From  the  public  gate  to  the  temple  was  an  avenue  of  sphinxes 
with  human  heads  and  lion  bodies.  They  were  in  two  lines,  ten 
in  each,  and  were  gazing  into  each  others'  eyes.  Only  the  high 
est  dignitaries  might  pass  between  these  sphinxes. 

At  the  head  of  this  avenue,  and  opposite  the  public  gate, 
rose  two  obelisks  or  slender  and  lofty  granite  columns  of  four 
sides,  on  which  was  inscribed  the  history  of  the  pharaoh  Seti. 

Beyond  the  obelisks  rose  the  gate  of  the  temple  having  at 
both  sides  of  it  gigantic  piles  in  the  form  of  truncated  pyramids 
called  pylons.  These  were  like  two  strong  towers,  on  the  walls 
of  which  were  paintings  representing  the  visits  of  Seti,  or  the 
offerings  which  he  made  to  divinities. 

Earth-tillers  were  not  permitted  to  pass  this  gate  which  was 
free  only  to  wealthy  citizens  and  the  privileged  classes. 
Through  it  was  the  entrance  to  the  peristyle  or  court,  sur 
rounded  by  a  corridor  which  had  a  multitude  of  columns. 
From  this  court,  where  there  was  room  for  ten  thousand 
people,  persons  of  the  noble  order  might  go  still  farther  to 
the  first  hall,  the  hypostyle  ;  this  had  a  ceiling  which  rested  on 
two  rows  of  lofty  columns,  and  there  was  space  in  it  for  two 


564  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

thousand  worshippers.  This  hall  was  the  last  to  which  lay 
people  were  admitted.  The  highest  dignitaries  who  had  not 
received  ordination  had  the  right  to  pray  there,  and  look  thence 
at  the  veiled  image  of  the  god  which  rose  in  the  hall  of  u  divine 
apparition." 

Beyond  the  hall  of  "  divine  apparition"  was  the  chamber  of 
"  tables  of  offering,"  where  priests  placed  before  the  gods  gifts 
brought  by  the  faithful.  Next  was  the  chamber  of  "  repose," 
where  the  god  rested  when  returning  from  or  going  to  a  pro 
cession,  and  last  was  the  chapel  or  sanctuary  where  the  god 
had  his  residence. 

Usually  the  chapel  was  very  small,  dark,  sometimes  cut  out 
of  one  block  of  stone.  It  was  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
chapels  equally  small,  filled  with  garments,  furniture,  vessels 
and  jewels  of  the  god  which  in  its  inaccessible  seclusion  slept, 
bathed,  was  anointed  with  perfumes,  ate,  drank,  and  as  it 
seems  even  received  visits  from  young  and  beautiful  women. 

This  sanctuary  was  entered  only  by  the  high  priest,  and  the 
ruling  pharaoh  if  he  had  received  ordination.  If  an  ordinary 
mortal  entered  he  might  lose  his  life  there. 

The  walls  and  columns  of  each  hall  were  covered  with  in 
scriptions  and  explanatory  paintings.  In  the  corridor  sur 
rounding  the  peristyle  were  the  names  and  portraits  of  all  the 
pharaohs  from  Menes  the  first  ruler  of  Egypt  to  Rameses  XII. 
In  the  hypostyle,  or  hall  for  nobles,  the  geography  and  statis 
tics  of  Egypt  were  presented  pictorially,  also  the  subject 
nations.  In  the  hall  of  "apparition"  were  the  calendar  and 
the  results  of  astronomical  observation ;  in  the  chamber  of 
"  tables  of  offering,"  and  in  that  of  "  repose  "  figured  pictures 
relating  to  religious  ceremonial,  and  in  the  sanctuary  rules  for 
summoning  beings  beyond  the  earth  and  controlling  the  phe 
nomena  of  nature. 

This  last  kind  of  knowledge  was  contained  in  statements 
so  involved  that  even  priests  in  the  time  of  Rameses  XII. 
did  not  understand  them.  The  Chaldean  Beroes  was  to  revive 
this  expiring  wisdom. 

Rameses  XIII.,  after  he  had  rested  two  days  in  the  official 
palace  at  Abydos,  betook  himself  to  the  temple.  He  wore  a 
white  tunic,  a  gold  breastplate,  an  apron  with  orange  and  blue 


THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  566 

stripes,  a  steel  sword  at  his  side  and  on  his  head  a  golden  hel 
met.  The  pharaoh  sat  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  horses  adorned 
with  ostrich  plumes,  and  was  conducted  by  nomarchs  as  he 
moved  slowly  toward  the  house  of  Osiris,  surrounded  by  his 
officers. 

Whithersoever  he  looked :  toward  the  field,  the  river,  the 
roofs  of  houses,  or  even  the  limbs  of  tamarind  and  fig-trees 
there  was  a  throng  of  people,  and  an  unceasing  shout  which 
was  like  the  roar  of  a  tempest. 

When  he  arrived  at  the  temple  the  pharaoh  stopped  his 
horses  and  descended  before  the  public  gate.  This  act  pleased 
the  common  people  and  delighted  the  priesthood.  He  passed  on 
foot  along  the  avenue  of  sphinxes  and,  greeted  by  the  holy  men, 
burned  incense  before  the  statues  of  Seti  which  occupied  both 
sides  of  the  main  entrance. 

In  the  peristyle  the  high  priest  turned  the  attention  of  his 
holiness  to  the  splendid  portraits  of  the  pharaohs,  and  pointed 
out  the  place  selected  for  that  of  Rameses.  In  the  hypostyle 
he  indicated  to  him  the  meaning  of  the  geographical  maps  and 
statistical  tables. 

In  the  chamber  of  "divine  apparition"  Rameses  offered 
incense  to  the  gigantic  statue  of  Osiris,  and  the  high  priest 
showed  him  the  columns  dedicated  to  the  separate  planets : 
Mercury,  Venus,  the  moon,  Mars,  Jupiter,  and  Saturn.  The 
planets  stood  around  statues  of  the  sun  god  to  the  number  of 
seven. 

"Thou  hast  told  me,"  said  Rameses,  "that  there  are  six 
planets ;  meanwhile  I  see  seven  columns." 

"The  seventh  represents  the  earth,  which  is  also  a  planet." 

The  astonished  pharaoh  asked  for  explanation,  but  the  sage 
was  silent,  indicating  by  signs  that  his  lips  were  sealed  on  that 
subject. 

In  the  chamber  of  the  "  tables  of  offering  "  was  heard  low 
but  beautiful  music,  during  which  a  solemn  dance  was  given  by 
a  chorus  of  priestesses. 

The  pharaoh  removed  his  golden  helmet;  next,  his  breast 
plate  of  great  value,  and  gave  both  to  Osiris,  desiring  that  these 
gifts  should  remain  in  the  treasury  of  the  god,  and  not  be 
transferred  to  the  labyrinth. 


566  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE;   PRIEST 

In  return  for  his  bounty  the  high  priest  bestowed  on  the 
sovereign  a  most  beautiful  dancer  fifteen  years  of  age,  who 
seemed  greatly  delighted  with  her  fortune. 

When  the  pharaoh  found  himself  in  the  hall  of  "  repose  "  he 
sat  on  the  throne,  and  his  substitute  in  religion,  Sena,  to  the 
sound  of  music  and  amid  the  smoke  of  censers,  entered  the 
sanctuary  to  bring  forth  the  divinity. 

Half  an  hour  later,  to  the  deafening  sound  of  bells,  appeared 
in  the  gloom  of  the  chamber  a  golden  boat  hidden  by  curtains 
which  moved  at  times  as  if  some  living  being  were  sitting  be 
hind  them. 

The  priests  prostrated  themselves,  and  Rameses  looked  in 
tently  at  the  transparent  curtains.  One  of  these  was  turned 
aside  and  the  pharaoh  saw  a  child  of  rare  beauty  which  looked 
at  him  with  such  wise  eyes  that  the  ruler  of  Egypt  was  almost 
afraid  of  it. 

"  This  is  Horns,"  whispered  the  priest.  "  Horus  the  rising 
sun.  He  is  the  son  of  Osiris  and  also  his  father,  and  the  hus 
band  of  his  own  mother,  who  is  his  sister." 

The  procession  began,  but  only  through  the  interior  of  the 
temple.  In  advance  went  harpers  and  female  dancers,  next  a 
white  bull  with  a  golden  shield  between  his  horns,  —  then  two 
choruses  of  priests  and  high  priests  bearing  the  god,  then 
choruses,  and  finally  the  pharaoh  in  a  litter  borne  by  eight 
priests  of  the  temple. 

When  the  procession  had  passed  through  all  the  corridors 
and  halls  of  the  temple,  and  the  god  and  Rameses  had  returned 
to  the  chamber  of  repose,  the  curtain  concealing  the  sacred 
boat  slipped  apart  and  the  beautiful  child  smiled  at  the 
pharaoh. 

After  that  Sem  bore  away  the  boat  and  the  god  to  the 
chapel. 

"One  might  become  a  high  priest,"  said  the  pharaoh,  who 
was  so  pleased  with  the  child  that  he  would  have  been  glad  to 
see  it  as  often  as  possible. 

But  when  he  had  gone  forth  from  the  temple  and  seen  the 
sun  and  the  throng  of  delighted  people,  he  confessed  in  his 
soul  that  he  understood  nothing.  He  knew  not  whence  they 
had  brought  that  child,  unlike  any  other  child  in  Egypt, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  567 

whence  that  superhuman  wisdom  in  its  eyes,  nor  what  the 
meaning  was  of  all  that  he  himself  had  seen. 

Suddenly  he  remembered  his  murdered  son,  who  might  have 
been  as  beautiful,  and  the  ruler  of  Egypt  wept  in  presence  of  a 
hundred  thousand  subjects. 

' '  Converted  I  The  pharaoh  is  converted  !  "  said  the  priests. 
"  Barely  has  he  entered  the  dwelling  of  Osiris,  and  his  heart  is 
touched." 

That  same  day  one  blind  man  and  two  paralytics,  who  were 
praying  outside  the  walls  of  the  temple,  recovered  health. 
The  council  of  priests  decided,  therefore,  to  reckon  that  day  in 
the  list  of  those  which  were  miraculous,  and  to  paint  a  picture 
on  the  external  wall  of  the  edifice  representing  the  weeping 
pharaoh  and  the  cured  people. 

Rameses  returned  rather  late  in  the  afternoon  to  his  palace 
to  hear  reports.  When  all  the  dignitaries  had  left  the  cabinet 
Tutmosis  came  in  and  said,  — 

"  Holiness,  the  priest  Samentu  wishes  to  pay  thee  homage." 

"  Well,  let  him  come." 

"  He  implores  thee,  lord,  to  receive  him  in  a  tent  in  the  mil 
itary  camp ;  he  asserts  that  the  walls  of  the  palace  are  fond  of 
listening." 

Before  sunset,  the  pharaoh  went  with  Tutmosis  to  his  faith 
ful  troops  and  found  among  them  the  royal  tent,  at  which  Asi 
atics  were  on  guard  by  command  of  Tutmosis. 

In  the  evening  came  Samentu  dressed  in  the  garb  of  a  pil 
grim,  and  when  he  had  greeted  his  holiness  with  honor,  he 
whispered,  — 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  I  was  followed  the  whole  way  by  some 
man  who  has  stopped  not  far  from  this  tent,  O  holiness.  Per 
haps  he  was  sent  by  the  high  priests." 

At  the  pharaoh's  command  Tutmosis  ran  out,  and  found,  in 
fact,  a  strange  officer. 

u  Who  art  thou?  "  asked  he. 

"  I  am  Eunana,  a  centurion  in  the  regiment  of  Isis.  The 
unfortunate  Eunana.  Dost  thou  not  remember  me,  worthi 
ness?  More  than  a  year  ago  at  the  manoeuvres  near  Pi-Bailos 
I  discovered  the  sacred  scarabs  —  " 

"Ah,  that  is  thou !  "  interrupted  Tutmosis.  "  But  thy  regi 
ment  is  not  in  Abydos  ?  " 


568  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  The  water  of  truth  flows  from  thy  lips.  We  are  quartered 
at  a  wretched  place  near  Mena  where  the  priests  have  com 
manded  us  to  clear  a  canal,  as  if  we  were  Hebrews  or  earth- 
diggers." 

"  How  hast  thou  appeared  here?  " 

"  I  implored  my  superiors  for  a  rest  of  some  days,  and  like  a 
deer  thirsting  for  a  spring  I,  thanks  to  the  swiftness  of  my  feet, 
have  hurried  hither  — 

"  What  dost  thou  wish,  then?" 

"I  wish  to  beg  favor  of  his  holiness  against  the  shaven  heads 
who  give  me  no  promotion  because  I  am  sensitive  to  the  suffer 
ings  of  warriors." 

Tutmosis  returned  to  the  tent,  ill-humored,  and  repeated  the 
conversation  to  the  pharaoh. 

"Eunana?"  repeated  the  sovereign.  "Yes,  I  remember 
him.  Pie  caused  us  trouble  with  his  beetles,  but  got  fifty  blows 
of  a  stick  through  Herhor.  And  thou  sayst  that  he  complains 
of  the  priests?  Bring  him  hither." 

The  pharaoh  told  Samentu  to  go  into  the  second  division  of 
the  tent. 

The  unfortunate  officer  soon  showed  himself.  He  fell  with 
his  face  to  the  earth,  and  then  kneeling,  and  sighing,  con 
tinued,  — 

"  I  pray  every  day  at  his  rising  and  setting  to  Re  Harma- 
chis,  and  to  Amon,  and  Re,  and  Ptah,  and  to  other  gods  and 
goddesses,  for  thy  health,  O  sovereign  of  Egypt !  That  thou 
live  !  That  thou  have  success,  and  that  I  might  see  even  the 
splendor  of  thy  heel."  l 

"  What  does  he  wish?  "  asked  the  pharaoh  of  Tutmosis,  ob 
serving  etiquette  for  the  first  time. 

"His  holiness  is  pleased  to  inquire  what  thy  wish  is?7'  re 
peated  Tutmosis. 

The  deceitful  Eunana,  remaining  on  his  knees,  turned  toward 
the  favorite,  and  said,  — 

"Thou  art  the  ear  and  eye  of  the  land;  thou  givest  delight 
and  life,  hence  I  will  answer  thee  as  at  the  judgment  of  Osiris : 
I  have  served  in  the  priests'  regiment  of  the  divine  Isis  ten  years  ; 
I  have  fought  six  years  on  the  eastern  boundary.  Men  of  my 

1  Authentic. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  569 

age  are  commanders  of  thousands,  but  I  am  only  a  centurion. 
I  receive  blows  of  sticks  at  command  of  the  god-fearing  priests. 
And  why  is  such  injustice  done  me?  In  the  day-time  I  think 
of  books,  and  at  night  I  read  them,  since  the  fool  who  leaves 
books  as  quickly  as  a  gazelle  takes  to  flight  is  of  low  mind ;  he 
is  like  the  ass  which  receives  lashes,  like  the  deaf  man  who 
does  not  hear,  and  with  whom  one  must  speak  with  his  fingers. 
In  spite  of  my  love  for  science  I  am  not  puffed  up  with  my  own 
knowledge,  but  I  take  counsel  with  all,  for  from  each  man  it 
is  possible  to  learn  something,  and  I  surround  with  my  esteem 
worthy  sages  —  " 

The  pharaoh  moved  impatiently,  but  listened  on,  knowing 
that  an  Egyptian  considered  garrulousness  as  his  duty  and  the 
highest  honor  to  superiors. 

"This  is  what  I  am,"  said  Eunana.  "In  a  strange  house 
I  look  not  at  women.  I  give  my  attendants  to  eat  what 
is  proper,  but  when  my  turn  comes  I  dispute  not  about  the 
division.  I  have  a  face  which  is  satisfied  at  all  times,  and  in 
presence  of  superiors  I  act  respectfully.  I  never  sit  in  the 
presence  of  an  older  man  standing;  I  am  not  forward,  and 
without  invitation  I  go  not  into  other  men's  houses.  I  am 
silent  touching  that  which  my  eyes  see,  for  I  know  that  we  are 
deaf  to  men  who  use  many  words. 

"  Wisdom  teaches  that  the  body  of  a  man  is  like  a  granary 
full  of  various  objects.  Therefore,  I  choose  at  all  times  the 
good  that  is  in  me  and  express  it.  I  keep  the  bad  shut  up  in 
my  person.  The  deceits  of  other  men  I  repeat  not,  and  as  to 
that  which  is  committed  to  me  I  always  accomplish  it  in  the 
best  manner  possible. 

"And  what  is  my  reward?"  finished  Eunana,  raising  his 
voice ;  "I  suffer  cold,  I  go  in  rags,  I  am  not  able  to  lie  on  my 
back,  it  is  so  beaten.  I  read  in  books  that  the  priestly  order 
rewards  valor  and  prudence.  Indeed !  that  must  have  been  at 
some  other  time,  and  very  long  ago.  For  the  priests  of  to-day 
turn  from  men  of  ability  and  drive  strength  and  valor  out  of 
the  bones  of  officers." 

"I  shall  fall  asleep  in  presence  of  this  man,"  said  the 
pharaoh. 

44  Eunana,"  said  Tutmosis,    "  his  holiness  is  convinced  that 


570  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

thou  art  expert  in  books,  but  tell  now  in  as  few  words  as  pos 
sible  what  thy  wish  is." 

"  An  arrow  does  not  go  so  quickly  to  its  mark  as  my 
request  will  fly  to  the  divine  feet  of  his  holiness,"  replied 
Eunana.  "  The  service  of  the  shaven  heads  has  so  disgusted 
me,  the  priests  have  filled  my  heart  with  such  bitterness, 
that  if  I  am  not  transferred  to  the  army  of  the  pharaoh,  I 
shall  pierce  myself  with  my  own  sword,  before  which  the 
enemies  of  Egypt  have  trembled  more  than  one  time  and  more 
than  a  hundred  times.  I  would  rather  be  a  decurion,  nay  a 
simple  warrior  of  his  holiness  than  a  centurion  in  priestly  regi 
ments;  a  pig  or  a  dog  may  serve  them,  but  not  a  believing 
Egyptian  !  " 

Eunana  uttered  the  last  words  with  such  mad  anger  that 
the  pharaoh  said  in  Greek  to  Tutmosis,  — 

44  Take  him  to  the  guard.  An  officer  who  does  not  like 
the  priests  may  be  of  use  to  us." 

"  His  holiness,  the  lord  of  both  worlds  has  given  command 
to  receive  thee  into  his  guard,"  repeated  Tutmosis. 

"  My  health  and  life  belong  to  our  lord.  May  he  live 
through  eternity !  "  exclaimed  Eunana,  and  he  kissed  the 
footstool  beneath  the  feet  of  the  pharaoh. 

Eunana,  now  made  happy,  moved  backward,  falling  on  his 
face  after  every  couple  of  steps,  and  left  the  tent,  blessing  his 
sovereign. 

"  His  garrulousness  irritated  me,"  said  Rameses.  u  I  must 
teach  Egyptian  soldiers  and  officers  to  speak  briefly,  not  like 
learned  scribes." 

"May  the  gods  grant  that  to  be  his  only  failing,"  whis 
pered  Tutmosis,  on  whom  Eunana  had  made  a  bad  impression. 

Rameses  summoned  Samentu. 

"  Be  at  rest,"  said  he  to  the  priest.  "That  officer  who 
came  after  thee  was  not  following.  He  is  too  stupid  for 
commissions  of  that  sort.  But  a  heavy  hand  may  be  used  in 
case  of  necessity.  Well,  now,  tell  me  what  inclined  thee  to 
such  cautiousness?" 

"  I  know,  almost,  the  road  to  the  treasure  chambers  in  the 
labyrinth,"  said  Samentu. 

The  pharaoh  shook  his  head. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  571 

44  That  is  a  difficult  task,"  said  he  in  a  low  voice.  "  I  ran 
an  hour  through  various  halls  and  corridors,  like  a  mouse 
chased  by  a  cat.  And  I  confess  that,  not  merely  did  I  not 
understand  that  road,  but  I  could  not  have  even  escaped  from 
the  place  unattended.  Death  in  the  sunlight  may  be  pleasant, 
but  death  in  those  dens,  where  a  mole  would  lose  its  way ! 
BIT  !  " 

"  Still  we  must  find  that  road  and  master  it,"  said  Samentu. 

<4  But  if  the  overseers  themselves  give  the  necessary  part  of 
the  treasure,"  inquired  the  pharaoh. 

"  They  will  not  do  that  while  Metres,  Herhor,  and  their  con 
federates  are  living.  Believe  me,  sovereign,  the  question  for 
those  dignitaries  is  to  roll  thee  in  swaddling  clothes,  like  an 
infant." 

Rameses  grew  pale  from  anger. 

4 '  Unless  I  wind  them  in  chains !  How  wilt  thou  discover 
the  way  ?  " 

44  Here  in  Abydos,  in  the  grave  of  Osiris,  I  found  the  whole 
plan  of  the  road  to  the  treasure,"  said  Samentu. 

kt  But  how  didst  thou  learn  that  it  was  here? " 

44  Inscriptions  in  my  temple  of  Set  explained  that  to  me." 

44  When  didst  thou  find  the  plan?  " 

44  When  the  mummy  of  thy  eternally  living  father,  O  holi 
ness,  was  in  the  temple  of  Osiris.  I  accompanied  the  revered 
relics  and  while  on  night  service  in  the  hall  of  4  repose '  I 
entered  the  sanctuary." 

"  Thou  shouldst  be  a  general,  not  a  high  priest !  "  cried 
Rameses,  laughing.  '4  And  now  thou  understandest  the  way  of 
the  labyrinth?" 

"'  I  have  understood  it  this  long  time,  now  I  have  taken  indi 
cations  for  guidance." 

44  Canst  thou  explain  it  to  me?  " 

44  Of  course,  at  the  right  time,  I  will  even  show  thee  a  plan, 
holiness.  That  way,"  continued  Samentu,  44  passes  in  zigzags 
four  times  through  the  whole  labyrinth ;  it  begins  on  the  upper 
story  and  ends  in  the  lowest  place  underground,  and  has  a 
number  of  other  twists.  That  is  why  it  is  so  long." 

"  And  how  couldst  thou  go  from  one  hall  to  another  when 
there  is  such  a  multitude  of  doors  in  them  ?  " 


572  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  On  every  door  leading  to  the  object  there  is  a  portion  of 
this  sentence :  t  Woe  to  the  traitor  who  tries  to  penetrate  the 
supreme  secret  of  the  state  and  to  stretch  forth  a  sacrilegious 
hand  toward  the  treasure  of  the  gods.  His  remains  will  be  like 
offal,  and  his  soul,  torn  by  its  sins,  will  wander  without  rest, 
through  dark  places.'  " 

"And  that  inscription  does  not  terrify  thee?" 

44  But,  holiness,  does  the  sight  of  a  Libyan  spear  terrify  thee? 
Threats  are  good  against  common  people,  but  not  against  me, 
who  am  able  myself  to  write  curses  still  more  dreadful." 

The  pharaoh  fell  to  thinking. 

"Thou  art  right,"  said  he.  "A  spear  will  not  harm  him 
who  knows  how  to  ward  it  off,  and  a  deceitful  road  will  not 
lead  astray  the  sage  who  knows  the  word  of  truth.  But  how 
wilt  thou  manage  to  make  stones  in  the  wall  move  apart  before 
thee,  and  columns  change  into  doors  of  entrance?" 

Samentu  shrugged  his  shoulders  contemptuously. 

"In  my  temple,"  replied  he,  "there  are  imperceptible  en 
trances  even  more  difficult  to  open  than  those  in  the  labyrinth. 
Whoso  knows  the  key  to  a  mystery  can  go  everywhere,  as 
thou  hast  said  justly,  O  holiness." 

Barneses  rested  his  head  on  his  hand  and  continued  thinking. 

"I  should  be  sorry,"  said  he,  "if  misfortune  were  to  meet 
thee  on  the  way." 

"In  the  worst  event  I  shall  meet  death,  and  does  not  death 
threaten  even  a  pharaoh.  Besides,  didst  thou  not  march  to  the 
Soda  Lakes  boldly,  though  thou  wert  not  sure  of  returning? 
And,  lord,  think  not,"  continued  the  priest,  "  that  I  must  pass 
over  the  same  distance  as  other  men  who  visit  the  labyrinth. 
I  shall  find  nearer  points,  and  in  the  course  of  one  prayer  to 
Osiris  I  can  reach  a  place  which  thou  wouldst  only  reach  after 
thirty  prayers." 

"  But  are  there  other  entrances?  " 

"  There  are,  most  assuredly,  and  I  must  find  them.  I  shall 
not  enter  as  thou  didst,  by  the  main  gate  or  in  the  daytime." 

"How  then?" 

"  There  are  external  doors  which  I  know  and  which  the  wise 
overseers  of  the  labyrinth  leave  unguarded.  In  the  court  the 
watches  are  not  numerous  and  they  trust  so  much  to  the  care  of 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  573 

the  gods,  or  to  the  fear  of  the  people  that  they  sleep  in  the 
night  time  most  frequently.  Besides,  the  priests  go  to  pray  in 
the  temple  three  times  between  sunset  and  sunrise,  but  the 
guards  perform  their  devotions  in  the  open  air.  Before  one 
prayer  is  finished  I  shall  be  in  the  edifice." 

"  And  if  thou  go  astray?  " 

"  I  have  a  plan." 

"But  if  the  plan  is  imperfect?"  asked  the  pharaoh,  unable 
to  hide  his  anxiety. 

"  But,  holiness,  if  thou  obtain  not  the  treasures  of  the  laby 
rinth?  If  the  Phoenicians  change  their  minds  and  refuse  the 
promised  loan ?  If  the  army  be  hungry,  and  the  hopes  of  the 
common  people  be  deceived  ?  Be  pleased  to  believe  me,  lord," 
continued  the  priest,  "  that  I  amid  the  corridors  of  the  laby 
rinth  shall  be  safer  than  thou  in  thy  kingdom  of  Egypt." 

"But  the  darkness  —  the  darkness!  And  the  walls  which 
one  cannot  break  through,  and  the  depth,  and  those  hundreds 
of  ways  in  which  he  who  enters  must  lose  himself.  Believe 
me,  Samentu,  a  battle  with  men  is  amusement,  but  a  conflict 
with  darkness  and  doubt  —  that  is  dreadful." 

"  Holiness,"  answered  Samentu,  smiling,  "  thou  dost  not 
know  my  life.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  I  was  a  priest  of 
Osiris." 

"Thou?  "  asked  Rameses,  with  astonishment. 

"  I,  and  I  will  tell  at  once  why  I  passed  to  the  service  of  Set. 
They  sent  me  to  the  peninsula  of  Sinai  to  build  a  small  chapel 
for  miners.  The  labor  of  building  continued  six  years.  I, 
had  much  free  time  and  wandered  among  mountains,  examin 
ing  the  caves  in  them. 

"  What  have  I  not  seen  in  those  places  !  Corridors  so  long 
that  it  took  hours  to  pass  through  them,  narrow  entrances 
through  which  if  a  man  passes  he  must  crawl  on  his  stomach ; 
chambers  so  immense  that  in  each  a  whole  temple  might  find 
room  sufficient.  I  saw  underground  rivers,  lakes,  crystal 
chambers,  dens  totally  dark  in  which  no  man  could  see  his 
own  hand,  again  others  in  which  there  was  as  much  light  as  if 
a  second  sun  had  been  shining  there. 

"  How  often  have  I  been  lost  in  countless  passages,  how 
often  has  my  torch  gone  out,  how  often  was  I  approaching  an 


574  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

unseen  precipice?  I  have  passed  many  days  in  subterranean 
places,  living  on  parched  barley,  licking  the  moisture  from  wet 
rocks,  not  knowing  whether  I  should  ever  see  this  upper 
world  again. 

"  But  I  gained  experience.  My  vision  grew  sharp  and  I  even 
came  to  love  those  underground  regions.  And  to-day  when  I 
think  of  the  childish  recesses  of  the  labyrinth  I  am  ready  for 
laughter.  Edifices  built  by  men  are  like  mole-hills  when  com 
pared  with  the  immense  structures  reared  by  those  silent  and 
invisible  earth  spirits. 

"  But  once  I  met  a  dreadful  thing  which  brought  me  to 
change  my  position.  West  from  the  quarries  of  (Sinai  is  a 
group  of  ravines  and  mountains  among  which  subterranean 
thunders  are  heard  frequently,  the  earth  trembles,  and  flames 
are  seen  sometimes.  I  was  made  curious,  so  I  went  there  for 
a  longer  visit.  I  sought,  and,  thanks  to  an  inconsiderable 
opening,  I  discovered  a  whole  chain  of  immense  caves  under 
the  arches  of  which  it  would  be  possible  to  place  the  largest 
pyramid. 

"  When  I  wandered  into  those  places  I  was  met  by  a 
smell  of  putrefaction,  a  smell  so  strong  that  I  wished  to  flee 
from  it.  But,  conquering  myself,  I  entered  the  cave  whence  it 
came,  and  beheld  —  Imagine,  lord,  a  man  with  legs  and  arms 
shorter  by  one  half  than  ours,  but  thick,  awkward,  and  with 
claws  at  their  extremities.  Add  to  this  figure  a  broad  tail, 
flattened  at  the  side,  indented  like  the  comb  of  a  cock,  a 
very  long  neck,  and  on  it  a  dog's  head.  Finally,  dress  this 
monster  in  armor  covered  on  the  back  with  carved  spikes. 
Now  imagine  that  figure  standing  on  its  feet  with  arms  and 
breast  resting  against  a  cliff  — " 

"That  was  something  very  ugly,"  put  in  Rameses ;  "I 
should  have  killed  it  immediately." 

"It  was  not  ugly,"  answered  Samentu,  shaking  himself. 
"For  think,  lord,  that  monster  was  as  tall  as  an  obelisk." 

Rameses  made  a  movement  of  displeasure. 

"  Samentu,"  said  he,  "  it  seems  to  me  that  thou  didst  visit 
thy  caves  in  a  dream." 

"I  swear  to  thee,  holiness,  by  the  life  of  my  children!" 
exclaimed  the  priest,  "  that  I  speak  truth.  Yes;  that  monster 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  575 

in  the  skin  of  a  reptile  covered  with  a  scaly  armor,  if  lying  on 
the  ground,  would  with  its  tail  be  fifty  paces  long.  In  spite  of 
fear  and  repulsion  I  returned  a  number  of  times  to  that 
cave  and  examined  the  creature  most  carefully." 

"  Then  it  was  alive?" 

u  No,  it  was  dead.  Dead  a  very  long  time,  but  preserved 
like  our  mummies.  The  great  dryness  of  the  air  preserved 
it,  and  perhaps  some  salt  of  the  earth  unknown  to  me. 

"That  was  my  last  discovery,"  continued  Samentu.  t;I 
went  no  more  into  caves,  for  I  meditated  greatly.  'Osiris,' 
said  I,  4  creates  lions,  elephants,  horses,  and  Set  gives  birth 
to  serpents,  bats,  crocodiles ;  the  monster  which  I  met  is  surely 
a  creation  of  Set,  and  since  it  exceeds  everything  known  by 
us  under  the  sun,  Set  is  a  mightier  god  than  Osiris.' 

"  So  I  turned  to  Set.  and  on  returning  to  Egypt  fixed  my 
self  in  his  temple.  When  I  told  the  priests  of  my  discovery 
they  explained  to  me  that  they  knew  a  great  many  monsters 
of  that  sort," 

Samentu  drew  breath,  then  continued,  — 

"  Shouldst  thou  desire  to  visit  our  temple  at  any  time,  holiness, 
I  will  show  thee  wondrous  and  terrible  beings  in  coffins :  geese 
with  lizards'  heads  and  bats'  wings.  Lizards  like  swans,  but 
larger  than  ostriches,  crocodiles  three  times  as  long  as  those 
which  live  now  in  the  Nile,  frogs  as  bulky  as  mastiffs.  Those 
are  mummies,  or  skeletons  found  in  caves  and  preserved  in  our 
coffins.  People  think  that  we  adore  them,  but  we  merely  save 
them  from  decay  and  examine  their  structure." 

"  I  shall  believe  thee  when  I  see  them  myself,"  replied  the 
pharaoh.  "  But  tell  me,  whence  could  such  creatures  come?" 

"•  The  world  in  which  we  live,  holiness,  has  suffered  great 
changes.  In  Egypt  itself  we  find  ruins  of  cities  and  temples 
hidden  in  the  earth  deeply.  There  was  a  time  when  that  which 
is  now  Lower  Egypt  was  an  arm  of  the  sea,  and  the  Nile  flowed 
through  the  whole  width  of  our  valley.  Still  earlier  the  sea 
was  here,  where  this  kingdom  is  now.  Our  ancestors  inhabited 
the  region  which  the  western  desert  has  taken.  Still  earlier  tens 
of  thousands  of  years  ago  the  people  were  not  as  we  are,  they 
rather  resembled  monkeys,  but  they  knew  how  to  build  huts, 
they  had  fire,  and  they  used  stones  and  clubs  in  fighting. 


576  THE   PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST 

There  were  no  horses  in  those  days,  nor  bulls  ;  while  elephants, 
rhinoceroses  and  lions  were  three  or  even  four  times  as  large 
as  those  beasts  are  in  our  time. 

"But  enormous  elephants  were  not  the  first  creatures. 
Before  them  lived  immense  reptiles :  flying,  swimming,  and 
walking.  Earlier  than  the  reptiles  in  this  world  there  were 
only  snails  and  fish,  and  before  them  only  plants,  but  plants 
such  as  exist  not  at  present." 

"And  still  earlier?"  inquired  Rameses. 

"  Still  earlier  the  earth  was  empty  and  void,  and  the  spirit 
of  God  moved  over  the  waters." 

"I  have  heard  something  of  this,"  said  Rameses,  "but  I 
shall  not  believe  it  till  thou  show  me  mummies  of  monsters 
which,  as  thou  sayst,  are  in  thy  temple." 

"  With  permission,  holiness,  I  will  finish  what  I  have  begun," 
said  Samentu.  "  When  I  saw  that  immense  body  in  the  cave 
at  Sinai  fear  seized  me,  and  for  two  years  or  more  I  entered  no 
cave  of  any  kind.  But  when  priests  of  Set  explained  to  me  the 
origin  of  such  wonderful  creatures  my  alarm  vanished  and  curi 
osity  rose  up  in  place  of  it.  I  have  no  pleasauter  amusement  to 
day  than  to  wander  in  subterranean  places  and  search  for  ways 
amid  darkness.  For  this  reason  the  labyrinth  will  not  cause  me 
more  trouble  than  a  walk  through  the  pharaoh's  garden." 

"  Samentu,"  said  the  sovereign,  "  I  esteem  thy  marvellous 
daring  and  thy  wisdom ;  thou  hast  told  me  so  many  curious 
things  that  indeed  I  myself  have  conceived  a  wish  to  examine 
caves,  and  some  time  I  will  even  go  with  thee  to  Sinai.  Still  I 
have  fears  as  to  thy  conquest  of  the  labyrinth,  and  in  every 
event  I  will  summon  an  assembly  of  Egyptians  to  empower  me 
to  use  its  treasures." 

"That  will  do  no  harm,"  replied  the  priest.  "But  none 
the  less  will  my  labor  be  needed,  since  Mefres  and  Herhor  will 
never  consent  to  yield  the  treasure." 

"And  art  thou  sure  of  success?"  inquired  Rameses  per 
sistently. 

"Since  Egypt  is  Egypt,"  said  Samentu,  "there  has  not 
been  a  man  who  had  such  means  to  win  victory  as  I  have. 
This  encounter  is  for  me  not  even  a  struggle,  but  an  amusement. 
Darkness  terrifies  some  men ;  I  love  darkness  and  can  even  see 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  577 

in  the  midst  of  it.  Others  are  unable  to  guide  themselves 
among  the  numerous  chambers  and  corridors ;  I  shall  do  that 
very  easily.  Besides,  the  secrets  of  opening  hidden  doors  are 
unknown  to  other  men,  while  I  know  them  thoroughly. 

4 'Had  I  nothing  beyond  what  I  have  recounted  I  should 
discover  the  ways  of  the  labyrinth  in  one  month  or  in  two,  but 
I  have  besides  a  detailed  plan  of  those  passages  and  I  know 
the  expressions  which  will  lead  me  from  hall  to  hall.  What 
then  can  hinder  me?" 

44  Still  doubt  is  concealed  at  the  bottom  of  thy  heart;  thou 
didst  fear  that  officer  who  seemed  to  pursue  thee." 

The  priest  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"I  fear  nothing  and  no  man,"  replied  he  with  calmness, 
44  but  I  am  cautious.  I  provide  against  everything,  and  I  am 
prepared  even  for  this,  that  they  may  seize  me." 

"Dreadful  tortures  would  await  thee  in  that  case!" 
whispered  Rameses. 

4k  No  tortures.  I  shall  open  a  door  directly  from  the  subter 
ranean  chamber  of  the  labyrinth  to  the  land  of  endless  light." 

4  4  And  wilt  thou  not  be  sorry  for  me  ?  " 

"Why  should  I?  I  aim  at  a  great  object;  I  wish  to  occupy 
Herhor's  place." 

44 1  swear  that  thou  shalt  have  it." 

44  Unless  I  perish,"  added  Samentu.  "But  if  I  go  along 
precipices  to  mountain  summits,  and  in  that  wandering  my  foot 
slips  and  I  fall,  what  does  it  signify?  Thou,  lord,  wilt  care  for 
the  future  of  my  children?" 

44  Go  forward,"  said  Rameses.  '4  Thou  art  worthy  to  be  my 
foremost  assistant." 


CHAPTER   LVIII 

AFTER  leaving  Abydos,  Rameses  XIII.  sailed  up  the  Nile 
to  the  city  of  Tan-ta-ren  (Dendera)  and  Keneh,  which 
stood  nearly  opposite  each  other :  one  on  the  western,  the  other 
on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river.  At  Tan-ta-ren  were  two 
famous  places:  the  pond  in  which  crocodiles  were  reared,  and 
the  temple  of  Hator,  where  there  was  a  school  at  which  were 

37 


578  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

taught  medicine,  sacred  hymns,  the  methods  of  celebrating 
divine  ceremonies,  finally  astronomy. 

The  pharaoh  visited  both  places.  He  was  irritated  when 
they  directed  him  to  burn  incense  before  the  sacred  crocodiles, 
which  he  considered  as  foul  and  stupid  reptiles.  And  when 
one  of  these  in  time  of  offering  pushed  out  too  far  and  seized 
the  sovereign's  garment  with  its  teeth,  Rameses  struck  it  on 
the  head  with  a  bronze  ladle  so  violently  that  the  reptile  closed 
its  eyes  for  a  time,  and  spread  its  legs,  then  withdrew  and 
crept  into  the  water,  as  if  understanding  that  the  youthful  sov 
ereign  did  not  wish  to  be  familiar  even  with  divinities. 

"  But  have  I  committed  sacrilege?  "  inquired  Rameses  of  the 
high  priest. 

The  dignitary  looked  around  stealthily  to  see  if  any  one  were 
listening,  and  answered,  — 

"  If  I  had  known,  holiness,  that  thou  wouldst  make  it  an 
offering  in  that  way,  I  should  have  given  thee  a  club,  not  a  cen 
ser.  That  crocodile  is  the  most  unendurable  brute  in  the  whole 
temple.  Once  it  seized  a  child  —  " 

"And  ate  it?" 

"  The  parents  were  satisfied!"  said  the  priest. 

"Tell  me,"  said  the  pharaoh,  after  thinking,  "how  can  ye 
sages  render  homage  to  beasts  which,  moreover,  when  there  are 
no  witnesses,  ye  beat  with  sticks?" 

The  high  priest  looked  around  again,  and  seeing  no  one 
near  by,  he  answered,  — 

"  Of  course  thou  canst  not  suspect,  sovereign,  that  worship 
pers  of  one  god  believe  in  the  divinity  of  beasts.  What  is  done 
is  done  for  the  people. " 

In  the  temple  of  Hator  the  pharaoh  passed  quickly  through 
the  school  of  medicine,  and  listened  without  great  interest  to 
predictions  given  by  astrologers  concerning  him.  When  the 
astrologer  high  priest  showed  him  a  tablet  on  which  was  en 
graved  a  map  of  heaven,  he  asked,  — 

"How  often  do  these  predictions  come  true  which  ye  read 
in  the  stars?" 

"  They  come  true  sometimes." 

"  But  if  ye  predict  from  trees,  stones,  or  running  water,  do 
those  predictions  come  true  also?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  579 

The  high  priest  was  troubled. 

u  Holiness,  do  not  consider  us  untruthful.  We  predict  the 
future  for  people  because  it  concerns  them,  and  we  tell  them, 
indeed,  what  they  can  understand  of  astronomy." 

"And  what  do  ye  understand?" 

"We  understand,"  said  the  priest,  "-the  structure  of  the 
heavenly  dome  and  the  movement  of  the  stars." 

"  What  good  is  that  to  any  one?  " 

"  We  have  rendered  no  small  service  to  Egypt.  We  indicate 
the  main  directions  according  to  which  edifices  are  built  and 
canals  are  dug.  Without  the  aid  of  our  science  vessels  sailing 
on  the  sea  could  not  go  far  from  laud.  Finally  we  compose 
calendars  and  calculate  future  heavenly  phenomena.  For  in 
stance,  the  sun  will  be  eclipsed  within  a  short  period." 

Rameses  was  not  listening;  he  had  turned  and  gone  out. 

"  How  is  it  possible,"  thought  the  pharaoh,  u  to  build  a 
temple  for  such  childish  amusements,  and  besides  to  engrave 
the  results  on  golden  tablets?  These  holy  men  do  not  know 
what  to  snatch  at  from  idleness." 

After  he  had  remained  a  short  time  in  Tan-ta-ren,  the  sov 
ereign  crossed  over  to  Keneh. 

In  that  place  were  no  celebrated  temples,  incensed  crocodiles, 
or  golden  tablets  writh  stars.  But  commerce  and  pottery 
flourished.  From  that  city  went  two  roads  to  ports  on  the  Red 
Sea :  Koseir  and  Berenice,  also  a  road  to  the  porphyry  moun 
tains,  whence  they  brought  statues  and  great  sticks  of  timber. 

Keneh  was  swarming  with  Phoenicians  who  received  the  sov 
ereign  with  great  enthusiasm,  and  presented  him  with  valuables 
to  the  amount  of  ten  talents. 

In  spite  of  this,  the  pharaoh  remained  barely  one  day  there, 
since  they  informed  him  from  Thebes  that  the  revered  body  of 
Rameses  XII.  was  already  in  the  palace  of  Luxor  awaiting 
its  burial. 

At  that  epoch  Thebes  was  an  immense  city  occupying  about 
twelve  square  kilometres  of  area.  It  possessed  the  greatest 
temple  in  Egypt :  that  of  Amon,  also  a  multitude  of  edifices,  pri 
vate  and  public.  The  main  streets  were  broad,  straight,  and 
paved  with  stone  slabs,  the  banks  of  the  Nile  had  their  boule 
vards,  the  houses  were  four  or  five  stories  high. 


580  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Since  every  temple  and  palace  had  a  great  gateway  with 
pylons  Thebes  was  called  "  the  city  of  a  hundred  gates."  It 
was  a  city  on  the  one  hand  greatly  given  to  commerce  and 
trade,  and  on  the  other,  the  threshold,  as  it  were,  of  eternity. 
On  the  western  bank  of  the  Nile,  in  the  hills  and  among  them, 
was  an  incalculable  number  of  tombs  of  pharaohs,  priests,  and 
magnates. 

Thebes  was  indebted  for  its  splendor  to  two  pharaohs : 
Amenophis  III.  or  Memnon,  who  found  it  a  "  city  of  mud  and 
left  it  a  city  of  stone,"  and  Rameses  II. ,  who  finished  and  per 
fected  the  edifices  begun  by  Amenophis. 

On  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Nile,  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  city,  was  an  entire  quarter  of  immense  regal  edifices  :  palaces, 
villas,  temples,  on  the  ruins  of  which  the  small  town  of  Luxor 
stands  at  present.  In  that  quarter  the  remains  of  Rameses 
XII.  were  placed  for  the  last  ceremonies. 

When  Rameses  XIII.  arrived  all  Thebes  went  forth  to  greet 
him,  only  old  men  and  cripples  remained  in  the  houses,  and 
thieves  in  the  alleys.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  the  people  took 
the  horses  from  the  pharaoh's  chariot  and  drew  it  themselves. 
Here  for  the  first  time  the  pharaoh  heard  shouts  against  the 
abuses  of  priests.  This  comforted  him ;  also  cries  that  every 
seventh  day  should  be  for  rest.  He  desired  to  make  that  gift 
to  toiling  Egypt,  but  he  knew  not  that  his  plans  had  become 
known,  and  that  the  people  were  waiting  to  see  them  accom 
plished. 

His  journey  of  five  miles  lasted  a  couple  of  hours  amid 
dense  crowds  of  people.  The  pharaoh's  chariot  was  stopped 
very  often  in  the  midst  of  a  throng,  and  did  not  move  till  the 
guard  of  his  holiness  had  raised  those  who  lay  prostrate  be 
fore  it. 

When  at  last  he  reached  the  palace  gardens  where  he  was  to 
occupy  one  of  the  smaller  villas,  the  pharaoh  was  so  wearied 
that  he  did  not  occupy  himself  with  affairs  of  state  on  his 
arrival.  Next  day,  however,  lie  burnt  incense  before  the 
mummy  of  his  father,  which  was  in  the  main  royal  chamber,  and 
informed  Herhor  that  they  might  conduct  the  remains  to  the 
tomb  prepared  for  them. 

But  this  ceremony  was  not  performed  immediately. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  581 

They  conveyed  the  late  pharaoh  to  the  temple  of  Rameses, 
where  it  remained  a  day  and  a  night.  Then  they  bore  the 
mummy  with  boundless  magnificence  to  the  temple  of 
Amon-Ra. 

The  details  of  the  funeral  ceremony  were  the  same  as  in 
Memphis,  though  incomparably  grander. 

The  royal  palaces  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Nile  were  on  the 
southern  end  of  the  city,  while  the  temple  of  Amon-Ra  was  in 
the  northern  part  of  it.  These  were  connected  by  a  road  unique 
in  character.  This  was  an  avenue  two  kilometres  long,  very 
broad,  lined  not  only  with  immense  trees,  but  with  two  rows  of 
sphinxes.  Some  of  these  with  lions'  bodies  had  human  heads, 
others  had  rams'  heads.  There  were  several  hundreds  of  these 
statues  on  the  avenue,  at  both  sides  of  which  countless  throngs 
of  people  had  assembled  from  Thebes  and  the  surrounding 
region.  Along  the  middle  of  the  avenue  moved  the  funeral 
procession.  Advancing  to  the  music  of  various  regiments 
were  detachments  of  female  wailers,  choruses  of  singers,  all 
the  guilds  of  artisans  and  merchants,  deputations  from  some 
tens  of  provinces  with  their  gods  and  banners,  deputations 
from  more  than  ten  nations  which  kept  up  relations  with  Egypt. 
And  again  wallers'  music  and  priestly  choruses. 

This  time  the  mummy  of  the  pharaoh  advanced  in  a  golden 
boat  also,  but  incomparably  richer  than  that  in  Memphis.  The 
car  which  bore  it  was  drawn  by  eight  pair  of  white  bulls ;  this 
car,  two  stories  high,  was  almost  concealed  under  garlands, 
bouquets,  ostrich  plumes,  and  precious  woven  stuffs.  It  was 
surrounded  by  a  dense  cloud  of  smoke  from  censers,  which 
produced  the  impression  that  Rameses  XII.  was  appearing  to 
his  people  in  clouds  like  a  divinity. 

From  the  pylons  of  all  Theban  temples  came  thunder-like 
outbursts  and  with  them  loud  and  rapid  sounds  from  the 
clashing  of  bronze  disks. 

Though  the  avenue  of  sphinxes  was  free  and  wide,  though 
the  procession  took  place  under  the  direction  of  Egyptian 
generals,  and  therefore  with  the  greatest  order,  the  procession 
spent  three  hours  in  passing  those  two  kilometres  between  the 
palace  and  the  edifices  of  Amon. 

Only  when  the  mummy  of  Rameses  XII.  was  borne  into  the 


582  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

temple  did  Rameses  XIII.  drive  forth  from  the  palace  in  a 
golden  chariot  drawn  by  a  pair  of  splendid  horses.  The  people 
standing  along  the  avenue,  who  during  the  time  of  the  proces 
sion  had  held  themselves  quietly,  burst  out  at  sight  of  the 
beloved  sovereign  into  a  shout  so  immense  that  the  thunders 
and  sounds  from  the  summits  of  all  the  temples  were  lost  in  it. 

There  was  a  moment  when  that  mighty  throng,  borne  away  by 
excitement,  would  have  rushed  to  the  middle  of  the  avenue  and 
surrounded  their  sovereign.  But  Rameses.  with  one  motion  of 
his  hand,  restrained  the  living  deluge  and  prevented  the 
sacrilege. 

In  the  course  of  some  minutes  the  pharaoh  passed  over  the 
road  and  halted  before  the  immense  pylons  of  the  noblest 
temple  in  Egypt. 

As  Luxor  was  the  quarter  of  palaces  in  the  south,  so  Karnak 
was  the  quarter  of  divinities  on  the  northern  side  of  the  city. 
The  temple  of  Amon-Ra  formed  the  main  centre  of  Karnak. 

This  building  alone  occupied  two  hectares  of  space,  and  the 
gardens  and  ponds  around  it  about  twenty.  Before  the  temple 
stood  two  pylons  forty  metres  high.  The  forecourt,  surrounded 
by  a  corridor  resting  on  columns,  occupied  nearly  one  hectare, 
the  hall  of  columns  in  which  were  assembled  the  privileged 
classes  was  half  a  hectare  in  extent.  This  was  not  the  edifice 
yet,  but  the  approach  to  it. 

That  hall,  or  hypostyle,  was  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  long  and  seventy-five  yards  in  width,  its  ceiling  rested  on 
one  hundred  and  thirty-four  columns.  Among  these  the  twelve 
central  ones  were  fifteen  yards  in  circumference  and  from 
twenty  to  twenty-four  metres  high. 

The  statues  disposed  in  the  temple  near  the  pylons,  and  at 
the  sacred  lakes  accorded  in  size  with  all  other  parts  of  Karnak. 

In  the  immense  gate  the  worthy  Herhor,  the  high  priest  of 
that  temple,  was  waiting  for  Rameses.  Surrounded  by  a 
whole  staff  of  priests  Herhor  greeted  the  pharaoh  almost 
haughtily,  and  while  burning  a  censer  before  the  sovereign  he 
did  not  look  at  him.  Then  he  conducted  Rameses  to  the 
hypostyle  and  gave  the  order  to  admit  deputations  within  the 
wall  of  the  temple. 

In  the  midst  of  the  hypostyle  stood  the  boat  with  the  mummy 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  583 

of  the  departed  sovereign,  and  on  both  sides  of  it,  two  thrones 
of  equal  height  stood  opposed  to  each  other.  On  one  of  these 
Rameses  took  his  place  surrounded  by  nomarchs  and  generals, 
on  the  other  sat  Herhor  surrounded  by  the  priesthood.  Then  the 
high  priest  Mefres  gave  Herhor  the  mitre  of  Amenhotep  and 
the  young  pharaoh  for  the  second  time  beheld  on  the  head  of  the 
high  priest  the  golden  serpent,  the  symbol  of  regal  authority. 

Rameses  grew  pale  from  rage,  and  thought:  "  Shall  I  need  to 
remove  the  ureus  and  thy  head  at  the  same  time  ?  " 

But  he  was  silent,  knowing  that  in  that  greatest  of  Egyptian 
temples  Herhor  was  lord,  the  equal  of  the  gods,  and  a  potentate 
perhaps  greater  than  the  pharaoh. 

During  this  time  when  the  people  filled  the  court,  behind  the 
purple  curtain  dividing  the  rest  of  the  temple  from  mortals  were 
heard  harps  and  low  singing.  Rameses  looked  at  the  hall. 
A  whole  forest  of  mighty  columns  covered  from  above  to  the 
bases  with  paintings,  the  mysterious  lighting,  the  ceiling  far  up 
near  the  sky  somewhere,  produced  on  him  an  effect  that  was 
crushing. 

u  "What  does  it  signify,"  thought  he,  "  to  win  a  battle  at  the 
Soda  Lakes?  To  build  an  edifice  like  this  is  an  exploit !  — But 
those  priests  built  it." 

At  that  moment  he  felt  the  power  of  the  priestly  order. 
Could  lie,  his  army,  or  even  the  whole  people  overturn  that 
temple?  And  if  it  would  be  difficult  to  deal  with  the  edifice 
would  it  be  easier  to  struggle  with  its  builders?  The  voice 
of  the  high  priest  Mefres  roused  him  from  disagreeable 
meditations. 

"  Holiness,"  said  the  old  man ;  "  thou  most  worthy  confidant 
of  the  gods  "  (here  he  bowed  to  Herhor) ;  ye  nomarchs,  scribes, 
warriors,  and  common  people,  —  the  most  worthy  high  priest 
of  this  temple,  Herhor,  invites  you  to  judge,  according  to 
ancient  custom,  the  earthly  acts  of  the  late  pharaoh,  and  to 
acknowledge  or  deny  to  him  burial." 

Anger  rushed  to  the  head  of  Rameses.  u  It  was  not  enough 
that  they  insulted  him  in  that  place,  but  in  addition  they 
dare  to  discuss  the  deeds  of  his  father,  to  decide  as  to  his 
burial." 

But  he  calmed  himself;  that  was  only  a  formality,  as  ancient, 


584  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

iii  fact,  as  the  Egyptian  dynasties.     It  related  not  to  judgment, 
but  to  praise  of  the  departed. 

At  a  sign  given  by  Herhor  the  high  priests  took  their  seats 
on  stools.  But  neither  the  nomarchs  nor  the  generals  surround 
ing  the  throne  of  Rameses  were  seated ;  there  were  not  even 
stools  for  them. 

The  pharaoh  fixed  in  his  memory  that  insult  also ;  but  he 
had  so  mastered  himself  now  that  it  was  impossible  to  learn 
whether  he  noticed  the  disregard  shown  those  near  him. 

Meanwhile  the  holy  Mefres  dwelt  on  the  life  of  the  deceased 
pharaoh. 

"Rameses  XII.,"  said  he,  "did  not  commit  any  of  the 
forty- two  sins,  hence  the  court  of  the  gods  pronounces  a 
gracious  verdict  regarding  him.  And  since,  moreover,  the 
royal  mummy,  thanks  to  the  exceptional  care  of  the  priests,  is 
provided  with  every  amulet,  prayer,  direction,  and  spell,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  late  pharaoh  is  now  in  the  dwelling  of  the 
gods,  sitting  at  the  side  of  Osiris,  and  is  himself  Osiris. 

"  During  his  earthly  life  the  divine  nature  of  Rameses  XII. 
was  made  manifest.  He  reigned  more  than  thirty  years. 
He  gave  the  people  profound  peace  and  erected  or  finished  many 
temples.  Besides,  he  was  himself  a  high  priest  and  surpassed 
in  piety  the  most  pious.  During  his  reign  honor  to  the  gods 
and  elevation  of  the  sacred  priestly  order  held  the  chief  posi 
tion.  Therefore  he  was  beloved  of  the  heavenly  powers,  and 
one  of  the  Theban  gods,  Khousu,  at  the  prayer  of  the  pharaoh, 
was  pleased  to  go  to  the  country  of  Buchten,  and  expel  an  evil 
spirit  from  the  king's  daughter." 

Mefres  drew  breath  and  continued,  — 

"  When  I  have  shown  your  worthinesses  that  Rameses  XII. 
was  a  god,  will  ye  inquire  with  what  object  that  higher  being 
came  down  to  the  Egyptian  land  and  spent  some  tens  of  years 
here  ? 

"  He  did  so  to  reform  the  world,  which,  through  decay  of 
faith,  is  much  corrupted.  For  who  is  occupied  in  devotion 
to-day,  who  thinks  of  obeying  the  will  of  the  gods  in  our 
time  ? 

"  In  the  distant  north  we  see  the  great  Assyrian  people  who 
believe  only  in  the  power  of  the  sword,  and  who,  instead  of 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  585 

giving  themselves  to  devotion  and  wisdom,  are  subjecting 
other  nations.  Nearer  to  us  are  Phoenicians,  whose  god  is 
gold,  and  whose  worship  is  mere  fraud  and  usury.  There 
are  others  also :  the  Hittites  on  the  East,  the  Libyans  on  the 
west,  the  Ethiopians  on  the  south,  and  the  Greeks  of  the 
Mediterranean,  —  those  are  barbarians  and  robbers.  Instead 
of  toiling  they  rob,  instead  of  working  wisdom  they  drink,  play 
dice,  or  sleep  like  tired  animals. 

"  In  the  world  there  is  only  one  really  wise  and  pious  peo 
ple,  the  Egyptians ;  but  see  what  is  happening  among  us. 
Because  of  the  influx  of  infidel  foreigners,  religion  has  fallen 
here  also.  Nobles  and  officials  at  their  wine  cups  revile  eternal 
life  and  the  gods,  while  the  people  throw  mud  at  sacred  statues 
and  make  no  offerings  to  temples. 

"  Excess  has  taken  the  place  of  devotion,  riot  the  place  of 
wisdom.  Each  man  wants  to  wear  immense  wigs,  and  anoint 
himself  with  rare  perfumes  ;  he  would  have  tunics  and  aprons 
woven  with  gold,  wear  chains  and  bracelets  set  with  jewels.  A 
barley  cake  suffices  him  no  longer :  he  wants  wheaten  bread 
with  milk  and  honey ;  he  washes  his  feet  in  beer  and  quenches 
his  thirst  with  wine  from  foreign  countries. 

"  Because  of  this  all  nobles  are  in  debt,  the  people  are  beaten 
and  overloaded  with  labor;  here  and  there  rebellions  break 
out.  What  do  I  say  !  here  and  there?  During  a  certain  time 
through  the  length  and  the  breadth  of  Egypt,  thanks  to  secret 
disturbances,  we  hear  the  shout:  'Give  us  rest  after  every  six 
days  of  labor !  Do  not  beat  us  without  judgment !  Give  each 
man  of  us  a  plot  of  land  as  his  property  ! ' 

"  This  is  a  declaration  of  ruin  for  Egypt,  against  which 
we  must  find  rescue.  The  rescue  is  only  in  religion,  which 
teaches  that  the  people  should  labor.  Holy  men,  as  persons 
knowing  the  will  of  the  gods,  should  indicate  the  labor,  and  it 
is  the  duty  of  the  pharaoh  and  his  officials  to  see  that  this  labor 
is  carried  out  actually. 

"Religion  teaches  all  this;  according  to  these  principles 
Rameses  XII.,  who  was  equal  to  the  gods,  governed  Egypt.  We 
high  priests,  knowing  his  devotion,  will  cut  out  the  following 
inscription  on  his  tomb  and  on  the  temples: 

"  *  The  bull  Horus,  the  mighty  Apis  who  united  the  crowns  of 


586  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

the  kingdom,  the  golden  falcon  wielding  the  sabre,  the  con 
queror  of  nine  nations,  the  King  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt, 
the  ruler  of  two  worlds,  the  sou  of  the  sun,  Amen-Mer-Rameses, 
beloved  of  Amon-Ra,  the  lord  and  ruler  of  the  Theban  region, 
the  son  of  Amon-Ra  received  as  son  by  Horus,  and  begotten 
by  Hormach,  King  of  Egypt,  ruler  of  Phosnicia,  lord  of  nine 
nations.'"1 

When  this  proposal  was  confirmed  by  a  shout  of  those 
assembled,  dancers  ran  out  from  behind  the  curtain  and  per 
formed  a  sacred  dance  before  the  sarcophagus,  and  the  priests 
burned  incense.  Then  they  took  the  mummy  from  the  boat  and 
bore  it  to  the  sanctuary  of  Amon  into  which  Rameses  XIII. 
had  not  the  right  to  enter. 

The  service  ended  soon  after  and  the  assembly  left  the  temple. 

While  returning  to  the  palace  of  Luxor  the  young  pharaoh 
was  so  sunk  in  thought  that  he  hardly  saw  the  immense  throng 
of  people  and  did  not  hear  the  shouts  which  rose  from  it. 

"  I  cannot  deceive  my  own  heart,"  thought  Rameses.  u  The 
high  priests  insult  me ;  this  has  not  happened  to  any  pharaoh 
till  my  time ;  more,  they  point  out  to  me  the  way  in  which  I 
can  gain  their  favor.  They  wish  to  manage  the  state,  and  I 
am  to  see  that  their  commands  are  accomplished. 

u  But  it  will  be  otherwise:  I  shall  command  and  ye  must 
accomplish.  Either  my  royal  foot  will  be  planted  on  your 
necks  or  I  shall  perish." 

For  two  days  the  revered  mummy  of  Rameses  XII.  remained 
in  the  temple  of  Amon,  in  a  place  so  sacred  that  even  high 
priests  might  not  enter,  save  only  Herhor  and  Mefres.  Before 
the  deceased  only  one  lamp  was  burning,  the  flame  of  which, 
nourished  in  a  miraculous  manner,  was  never  extinguished. 
Over  the  deceased  hung  the  symbol  of  the  spirit,  a  man- 
headed  falcon.  Whether  it  was  a  machine,  or  really  a  living 
being,  was  known  to  no  one.  This  is  certain,  that  priests  who 
had  the  courage  to  look  behind  the  curtain  stealthily  saw  that 
this  being  kept  one  place  in  the  air  unsupported  while  its  lips 
and  eyes  continued  moving. 

The  continuation  of  the  funeral  began,  and  the  golden  boat 
carried  the  deceased  to  the  other  side  of  the  river.     But  first  it 
1  Authentic  tomb  inscription. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  587 

passed  through  the  main  street  of  Thebes  surrounded  by  an 
immense  retinue  of  priests,  wailers,  warriors,  and  people,  amid 
incense,  music,  wailing  and  chanting.  This  was  perhaps  the 
most  beautiful  street  in  all  Egypt.  It  was  broad,  smooth, 
lined  with  trees.  Its  houses,  four  and  even  five  stories  high, 
were  covered  from  roof  to  foundation  with  mosaic  or  with 
bas-reliefs  in  colors.  It  looked  as  if  those  buildings  had  been 
hung  with  immense  colored  tapestry  or  hidden  by  colossal 
pictures  representing  the  work  and  occupations  of  merchants, 
artisans,  mariners,  also  distant  lands  and  their  people.  In  one 
word  that  was  not  a  street,  but  a  colossal  gallery  of  pictures, 
barbarous  as  to  the  drawing,  but  brilliant  in  colors. 

The  funeral  procession  advanced  about  two  kilometres  from 
the  north  to  the  south,  keeping  more  or  less  the  centre  of  the 
city,  then  it  turned  westward  toward  the  river. 

In  the  middle  of  the  river  opposite  this  point  was  a  large 
island  connected  by  a  bridge  of  boats  with  the  city.  To  avoid 
accidents  the  generals  in  command  reformed  the  procession; 
they  put  four  people  in  a  rank,  ordered  them  to  move  very 
slowly  and  forbade  them  to  keep  step.  With  this  object  the 
different  bands  of  music  at  the  head  of  the  multitude  each 
played  different  music. 

After  a  couple  of  hours  the  procession  passed  the  first 
bridge,  next  the  island,  then  the  second  bridge,  and  was  on 
the  western  bank  of  the  river. 

If  we  might  call  the  eastern  part  of  Thebes  the  city  of  gods 
and  kings,  the  western  quarter  was  that  of  tombs  and  mortuary 
temples. 

The  procession  advanced  from  the  Nile  toward  the  Libyan 
hills  by  the  middle  road.  South  of  this  road,  on  an  eminence, 
stood  a  temple,  commemorating  the  victories  of  Rameses  III., 
the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with  pictures  of  conquered 
nations:  Hittites,  Amorites,  Philistines,  Ethiopians,  Arabs, 
Libyans.  A  little  lower  down  rose  two  colossal  statues  of 
Amenhotep  II.,  the  height  of  which,  notwithstanding  their 
sitting  posture,  was  twenty  metres.  One  of  these  statues  was 
distinguished  by  the  miraculous  property  that  when  struck  by 
the  rays  of  the  rising  sun  it  gave  out  sounds  like  those  of  a 
harp  whenever  chords  snap  in  it. 


588  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Still  nearer  the  road,  but  always  on  the  left,  stood  the 
Ramesseum,  a  beautiful  though  not  very  large  temple  which 
was  built  by  Rameses  II.  The  entrance  to  this  edifice  was 
guarded  by  statues  with  the  royal  insignia  in  their  hands.  In 
the  forecourt  towered  the  statue  of  Rameses  II.  to  the  height 
of  sixteen  metres. 

The  road  rose  gradually,  and  a  very  steep  eminence  became 
more  and  more  visible;  this  was  as  full  of  holes  as  a  sponge: 
those  holes  were  the  tombs  of  Egyptian  officials.  At  the 
entrance  to  them,  among  steep  cliffs  stood  the  very  strange 
temple  of  Queen  Hatasu.  Tins  temple  was  four  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  long.  From  the  forecourt,  surrounded  by  a  wall, 
there  was  an  entrance  by  steps  to  the  second  court  surrounded 
by  columns ;  under  this  was  a  subterranean  temple.  From  the 
court  of  columns  the  passage  rose  by  steps  again  to  a  temple 
cut  out  in  the  cliff  under  which  was  another  subterranean 
temple.  In  this  way  the  temple  was  of  two  stories,  each  of 
which  was  divided  into  an  upper  and  a  lower  part.  The  stairs 
were  immense,  without  railing,  but  furnished  with  two  rows  of 
sphinxes ;  the  entrance  to  each  stairway  was  guarded  by  two 
sitting  statues. 

At  the  temple  of  Hatasu  began  the  gloomy  ravine  which  led 
from  the  tombs  of  high  dignitaries  to  those  of  the  pharaohs. 
Between  these  two  quarters  was  the  tomb  of  the  high  priest 
Retemenof,  the  corridors  and  chambers  of  which  occupied 
about  one  hectare  of  subterranean  area. 

The  road  to  the  ravine  was  so  steep  that  men  had  to  help  the 
draught  bulls,  and  push  the  funeral  boat  forward.  The  pro 
cession  moved,  as  it  were,  along  a  cornice  cut  into  the  cliff 
side;  at  last  they  halted  on  a  broad  platform  some  hundreds 
of  feet  above  the  ravine  counting  from  the  lower  bed  of  it. 

Here  was  the  door  leading  to  the  underground  tomb  which 
during  his  thirty  years'  reign  the  pharaoh  had  made  for  him 
self.  This  tomb  was  a  whole  palace  with  chambers  for  the 
pharaoh,  for  his  family  and  servants,  with  a  dining-room, 
bed-chamber  and  bath,  with  chapels  consecrated  to  various 
gods,  and  finally  with  a  well  at  the  bottom  of  which  was  a 
small  chamber  where  the  mummy  of  the  sovereign  would  rest 
for  the  ages. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  589 

By  the  light  of  brilliant  torches  the  walls  of  all  the  rooms 
appeared  covered  with  prayers,  and  also  with  pictures  which 
represented  every  occupation  and  amusement  of  the  departed: 
hunting,  the  building  of  temples,  the  cutting  of  canals,  tri 
umphal  entries,  solemnities  in  honor  of  the  gods,  battles  of 
troops  with  their  enemies,  the  labors  of  people. 

And  those  were  not  sufficient:  the  chambers  were  not  only 
fitted  with  furniture,  vessels,  chariots,  weapons,  flowers,  meat, 
bread,  and  wine,  but  they  were  furnished  also  with  a  multitude 
of  statues.  There  were  various  portraits  of  Rameses  XII., 
his  priests,  ministers,  women,  warriors,  and  slaves;  for  the 
sovereign  could  not  dispense  in  the  other  world  any  more  than 
in  this  with  costly  vessels,  exquisite  food  and  faithful  servants. 

When  the  funeral  car  halted  at  the  entrance  the  priests  drew 
forth  from  its  sarcophagus  the  mummy  of  the  pharaoh,  and 
placed  it  on  the  earth  resting  against  the  cliff  with  its 
shoulder.  Then  Rameses  XIII.  burned  incense  before  the 
remains  of  his  father,  while  Queen  Nikotris  embraced  the 
mummy  by  the  neck,  and  said  with  weeping,  — 

"I  am  thy  sister,  Nikotris,  thy  wife;  do  not  desert  me, 
thou  great  one!  Dost  thou  desire  really,  my  good  father,  that 
I  should  go?  But  if  I  go  thou  wilt  be  alone,  and  will  any  one 
be  with  thee?" 

Now  the  high  priest  Herhor  burned  incense  before  the 
mummy,  and  Mefres  poured  out  wine,  saying,  — 

"To  thy  second  self  we  offer  this,  O  Osiris-Mer-Amen- 
Rameses,  sovereign  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  whose  voice 
in  the  presence  of  the  great  god  is  truthful." 

Then  the  wailers  and  the  chorus  of  priests  were  heard: 

Chorus  I.  "Complain,  complain,  weep,  weep,  weep,  with 
out  ceasing,  as  loudly  as  ever  ye  are  able." 

Wailers.  "O  worthy  traveller,  who  turnest  thy  steps  to  the 
land  of  eternity,  how  quickly  they  are  tearing  thee  from  us." 

Chorus  II.  "How  beautiful  is  that  which  is  happening  to 
him!  Since  Khousu  of  Thebes  was  loved  by  him  greatly,  the 
god  has  permitted  the  sovereign  to  reach  that  west,  the  world 
of  the  generations  of  his  servants." 

Wailers.  "O  thou  who  hast  been  attended  by  so  many 
servitors,  thou  art  now  in  the  land  ruled  by  loneliness.  Thou 


590  THE   PHARAOH    AND    THE   PRIEST 

who  hadst    splendid  robes  and   didst   love  spotless  linen  art 
lying  now  in  the  garments  of  yesterday! " 

Chorus  I.  "In  peace,  in  peace,  to  the  West,  O  our  lord,  go 
thou  in  peace.  We  shall  see  thee  again  when  the  day  of 
eternity  comes,  for  thou  art  going  to  the  land  which  brings  all 
men  together."  l 

The  final  ceremony  began. 

They  brought  a  bull  and  an  antelope  which  it  was  the  duty 
of  Rameses  XIII.  to  slay,  but  they  were  slain  by  his  substi 
tute  before  the  gods,  Sem,  the  high  priest.  The  inferior 
priests  dressed  the  beasts  quickly,  after  which  Herhor  and 
Mefres,  taking  the  hind  legs,  placed  them  in  turn  at  the  mouth 
of  the  mummy.  But  the  mummy  had  no  wish  to  eat,  for  it 
was  not  brought  to  life  yet,  and  its  lips  were  closed. 

To  remove  that  obstacle  Mefres  washed  it  with  holy  water 
and  incensed  it  with  perfumes  and  alum,  saying,  — 

"Here  stands  thy  father;  here  stands  Osiris-Mer-Amen- 
Rameses.  I  am  thy  son;  I  am  Horns;  I  come  to  purify  thee 
and  make  thee  alive.  I  put  thy  bones  again  in  order;  I  join 
that  which  was  severed,  for  I  am  Horns,  the  avenger  of  my 
father.  Thou  wilt  sit  on  the  throne  of  Ra  who  proceeds  from 
Nut,  who  gives  birth  to  Re  every  morning,  who  gives  birth  to 
Mer-Amen-Rameses  daily,  just  as  Re." 

Thus  speaking,  the  high  priest  touched  with  amulets  the 
mouth,  the  breasts,  the  hands,  and  the  feet  of  the  mummy. 

Now  the  choruses  were  heard  again,  — 

Cliorus  I.  "Henceforth  Osiris-Mer-Amen-Rameses  will  eat 
and  drink  all  things  which  the  gods  eat  and  drink.  He  will 
sit  in  their  place,  like  them;  he  is  healthy  and  powerful." 

Chorus  II.  "He  has  power  in  every  limb;  it  is  hateful  to 
him  to  be  hungry  and  unable  to  eat,  thirsty  and  unable  to 
drink." 

Chorus  I.  "O  gods,  give  to  Osiris-Mer-Amen-Rameses 
thousands  of  thousands  of  pitchers  of  wine,  thousands  of  gar 
ments,  thousands  of  loaves  and  of  bullocks!" 

Chorus  IL  "O  ye  who  are  living  on  the  earth,  when  ye 
pass  this  way,  if  life  be  dear  to  you  and  death  be  repulsive,  if 
ye  desire  that  your  dignities  pass  to  your  descendants,  repeat 
this  prayer  for  the  heaven-dweller  who  is  placed  here." 

1  Authentic. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  591 

Mefres.  "O  ye  great  ones,  ye  prophets,  ye  princes,  scribes, 
and  pharaohs,  O  ye  other  people  who  are  to  come  a  million 
years  after  me,  if  any  of  you  put  his  name  on  the  place  of  my 
name  the  god  will  punish  him  by  destroying  his  person  on 
earth!"1 

After  this  curse  the  priests  lighted  the  torches,  took  the 
royal  mummy,  placed  it  again  in  its  casket,  and  the  casket  in 
the  stone  sarcophagus  which  had  the  human  form  in  its  gen 
eral  outlines.  Then,  in  spite  of  the  shrieks,  the  despair,  and 
the  resistance  ol  wailers,  they  bore  that  immense  weight  toward 
the  tomb  chamber. 

After  they  had  passed  by  the  light  of  torches  through  a 
number  of  corridors  and  chambers  they  halted  in  that  one 
where  the  well  was.  They  lowered  the  sarcophagus  in  that 
opening,  went  down  themselves,  and  put  away  the  sarcophagus 
in  a  lower  subterranean  space,  then  walled  up  the  passage  to 
this  space  quickly  and  in  such  a  manner  that  the  most  trained 
eye  could  not  have  discovered  it ;  then  they  went  up  and  closed 
the  entrance  to  the  well  with  equal  effectiveness. 

The  priests  did  all  this  without  witnesses;  and  they  did  the 
work  so  accurately  that  the  mummy  of  Rameses  XII.  remains 
to  this  day  in  its  secret  abode,  as  safe  from  thieves  as  from 
modern  curiosity.  Daring  twenty-nine  centuries  many  tombs 
of  pharaohs  have  been  ravaged,  but  that  one  is  inviolate. 

While  some  priests  were  hiding  the  remains  of  the  pious 
pharaoh,  others  illuminated  the  underground  chambers  and 
invited  the  living  to  a  feast  in  that  dwelling. 

Rameses  XIII. ,  Queen  Nikotris,  and  Sem,  with  some  civil 
and  military  dignitaries  entered  the  dining-hall.  In  the 
middle  of  the  chamber  stood  a  table  covered  with  food,  wine, 
and  flowers,  and  at  the  wall  sat  a  statue  of  the  late  sovereign 
carved  out  of  porphyry.  He  seemed  to  gaze  at  those  present, 
smile  pensively,  and  beg  them  to  eat  in  his  presence. 

The  feast  began  with  a  sacred  dance,  which  was  accompanied 
by  a  hymn  sung  by  one  of  the  highest  priestesses. 

"Enjoy  days  of  happiness,  for  life  lasts  but  one  instant. 
Enjoy  happiness,  for  when  ye  enter  the  tomb  ye  will  rest  there 
the  whole  length  of  each  day  during  ages." 

1  Authentic. 


592  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

After  the  priestess  came  a  prophet,  and  to  the  accompani 
ment  of  harps  he  chanted,  — 

"The  world  is  endless  change  and  endless  renewal.  That 
arrangement  of  fate  is  wise ;  the  decision  of  Osiris  deserves 
admiration ;  for  as  a  body  which  belongs  to  past  time  decays 
and  perishes,  other  bodies  rise  behind  it. 

"The  pharaohs,  those  gods  who  were  before  us,  rest  in  their 
pyramids;  their  mummies  and  their  second  selves  remain, 
though  the  palaces  which  they  built  are  no  longer  on  their 
sites,  and  no  longer  in  existence. 

"Despair  not,  but  give  thyself  to  thy  desires  and  thy  happi 
ness,  and  wear  not  thy  heart  out  till  for  thee  the  day  comes 
when  thou  wilt  implore,  while  Osiris,  the  god  whose  heart 
beats  no  longer,  will  not  hear  thy  petitions. 

"The  mourning  of  a  world  will  not  restore  happiness  to  a 
man  who  is  lying  in  the  tomb;  use,  then,  thy  days  of  happi 
ness  and  in  delight  be  no  laggard.  There  is  no  man,  indeed, 
who  can  take  his  goods  to  the  other  world  with  him ;  there  is 
none  who  can  go  to  that  world  and  come  back  to  this  one."  l 

The  feast  ended ;  the  worthy  assembly  incensed  the  statue 
of  the  deceased  once  again  and  made  ready  to  return  to 
Thebes.  In  the  mortuary  temple  only  priests  remained  to 
make  regular  offerings  to  the  deceased  and  a  guard  watching 
the  tomb  against  sacrilegious  attempts  of  robbers. 

Thenceforth  Rameses  XII.  was  alone  in  that  mysterious 
chamber.  Through  a  small  secret  opening  in  the  rock  a 
gloomy  light  barely  broke  in  to  him;  instead  of  the  rustle  of 
ostrich  plumes  was  the  rustle  of  enormous  bat  wings;  instead 
of  music  was  heard,  during  night  hours,  complaining  howls  of 
hyenas,  and  at  times  the  mighty  voice  of  a  lion,  which  greeted 
from  the  desert  the  pharaoh  in  his  resting-place. 


CHAPTER   LIX 

AFTER  the  funeral  of  the  pharaoh,  Egypt  returned  to  its 
usual  life,  and  Rameses  XIII.  to  affairs  of  state. 
The  new  ruler  in  the  month  Epifi  visited  the  cities  of  the 
1  Authentic. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  593 

Nile  above  Thebes.  Hence  he  went  to  Sni,  a  city  greatly 
devoted  to  trade  and  commerce.  In  Sni  was  the  temple  of 
Keph,  or  the  "Soul  of  the  World."  He  visited  Edfu,  whose 
temple  had  pylons  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  which 
possessed  an  immense  library  of  papyruses,  and  on  the  walls 
of  which  were  written  and  depicted,  as  it  were,  an  encyclope 
dia  of  the  geography,  astronomy,  and  theology  of  that  period. 
He  visited  the  quarries  in  Chennu,  in  Nubia,  or  Korn-Ombo ; 
he  made  offerings  to  Horus,  the  god  of  light,  and  to  Sebek, 
the  spirit  of  darkness.  He  was  on  the  island  Ab,  which  among 
dark  cliffs  seemed  an  emerald,  produced  the  best  dates,  and  was 
called  the  Capital  of  Elephants,  Elephantina,  for  on  that  island 
the  ivory  trade  was  concentrated.  He  visited  finally  the  city 
of  Sunnu,  situated  at  the  first  cataract  of  the  Nile,  and  visited 
the  immense  quarries,  granite  and  sienite,  where  rocks  were 
split  off  with  wooden  wedges  on  which  the  quarrymen  poured 
water  which  swelled  tfcem,  and  thus  obelisks  one  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  high  were  detached  from  the  face  of  the  quarry. 

Wherever  the  new  lord  of  Egypt  appeared  his  subjects 
greeted  him  wildly.  Even  criminals,  toiling  in  the  quarries 

—  men  whose  bodies  were  covered  with  never-healing  wounds 

—  experienced   happiness   since  the  pharaoh   commanded   to 
release  them  for  the  space  of  three  days  from  their  labor. 

Rameses  XIII.  might  feel  proud  and  well  satisfied,  for  no 
pharaoh  in  time  of  triumph  was  received  as  he  on  his  peaceful 
journey.  So,  nomarchs,  scribes,  and  high  priests,  seeing  this 
boundless  attachment  of  the  people,  bent  before  the  pharaoh 
and  whispered,  — 

"The  people  are  like  a  herd  of  bulls,  and  we  like  prudent 
ants.  Hence  we  will  honor  our  new  lord  so  that  he  may  enjoy 
health  and  protect  us  from  ruin." 

In  this  way  the  opposition  of  dignitaries,  very  strong  some 
mouths  earlier,  had  grown  silent  and  yielded  to  boundless 
obedience.  The  whole  aristocracy,  all  the  priests,  fell  on 
their  faces  before  Rameses  XIII. ;  Mefres  and  Herhor  alone 
were  unshaken. 

Hence  when  the  pharaoh  returned  from  Sunnu  to  Thebes  the 
chief  treasurer  brought  unfavorable  news  the  first  day  to  him. 

"All  the  temples,"  said  he,   "refuse  credit,  and  beg  most 

38 


594  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

obediently  that  thou,  holiness,  command  to  pay  in  the  course 
of  two  years  all  sums  which  they  have  lent  the  treasury." 

"I  understand,"  said  the  pharaoh;  "this  is  the  work  of  holy 
Mefres.  How  much  do  we  owe  them?  " 

"About  fifty  thousand  talents." 

"We  have  to  pay  fifty  thousand  talents  in  two  years,"  re 
peated  the  pharaoh.  "Well,  what  more?" 

"The  taxes  come  in  very  slowly.  During  three  months  we 
have  received  barely  one-fourth  of  what  is  due  us." 

"What  has  happened?" 

The  treasurer  was  anxious. 

"I  have  heard,"  said  he,  "that  some  people  have  explained 
to  earth-tillers  that  during  thy  reign  they  are  not  to  pay 
taxes." 

"Oh!  ho!"  cried  Rameses,  laughing.  "Those  'some 
people '  seem  to  me  very  like  the  worthy  Herhor.  Well,  what 
is  this;  does  he  want  to  kill  me  with  hunger?  How  can  we 
meet  current  expenses?  " 

"At  Hiram's  command  the  Phoenicians  lend  us,"  answered 
the  treasurer.  "We  have  received  from  them  eight  thousand 
talents  already." 

"But  do  ye  give  them  notes?" 

"Notes  and  mortgages,"  sighed  the  treasurer.  "  They  say 
that  this  is  a  simple  formality.  Still  they  settle  on  thy  lands, 
and  take  what  they  can  from  the  people." 

Delighted  with  the  reception  given  him  by  the  people  and 
the  obedience  of  magnates,  the  pharaoh  was  not  even  angry 
at  Herhor  and  Mefres.  The  time  of  anger  had  passed,  the 
moment  of  action  had  come,  and  Rameses  formed  his  plan  that 
very  day.  He  summoned  for  the  morrow  those  in  whom  he 
had  most  reliance :  the  high  priest  Sern,  the  prophet  Pentuer, 
his  favorite  Tutmosis,  and  the  Phosniciau  Hiram.  When  they 
had  assembled  he  said,  — 

"  Ye  know,  of  course,  the  temples  request  me  to  return  to 
them  the  funds  borrowed  by  my  father.  Every  debt  is  sacred, 
that  which  belongs  to  the  gods  I  should  like  to  pay  first  of  all. 
But  my  treasury  is  empty,  since  even  the  taxes  come  in  only 
fitfully. 

"  For  this  reason  I  look  on  the  state  as  in  danger,  and  I 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  595 

am   forced    to    turn   for   funds  to  treasures  preserved  in  the 
labyrinth." 

The  two  priests  moved  uneasily. 

"I  know,"  continued  the  pharaoh,  "that  according  to  our 
sacred  laws  my  decree  is  not  sufficient  to  open  to  us  the  vaults 
of  the  labyrinth.  But  the  priests  there  have  explained  what 
is  needful.  I  must  summon  representatives  of  all  orders  in 
Egypt,  thirteen  men  from  each  order,  and  obtain  a  confirma 
tion  of  my  will  from  them." 

The  pharaoh  smiled  at  this  point,  and  finished,  — 

"To-day  I  have  called  you  to  help  me  to  summon  that 
assembly  of  the  orders,  and  this  is  my  command  to  you : 

"Thou,  worthy  Sem,  wilt  select  for  me  thirteen  priests  and 
thirteen  nomarchs.  Thou,  pious  Pentuer,  will  bring  to  me  from 
various  provinces  thirteen  land-tillers  and  thirteen  artisans. 
Tutmosis  will  bring  thirteen  officers  and  thirteen  nobles ;  and 
Prince  Hiram  will  occupy  himself  in  bringing  thirteen  mer 
chants.  I  wish  that  this  assembly  should  meet  at  the  very 
earliest  in  my  palace  in  Memphis  and,  without  losing  time  in 
vain  talk,  recognize  that  the  labyrinth  is  to  furnish  means  to 
my  treasury." 

"I  make  bold  to  remind  thee,  holiness,"  said  Sem,  "that  at 
that  assembly  the  worthy  Herhor  and  the  worthy  Mefres  must 
be  present,  and  that,  according  to  law,  and  even  duty,  they  are 
to  oppose  touching  the  treasure  in  the  labyrinth." 

"  Of  course  I  agree  to  that,"  replied  the  pharaoh  promptly. 
"  They  will  give  their  reasons,  I  mine  ;  the  assembly  will  judge 
whether  a  state  can  exist  without  money,  and  whether  it  is  wise 
to  waste  treasure  in  darkness  while  the  state  is  threatened  with 
indigence." 

"A  few  sapphires  of  those  which  are  in  the  labyrinth  would 
suffice  to  pay  all  debts  to  Phoenicians,"  said  Hiram.  "  I  will 
go  at  once  among  the  merchants  and  find  not  thirteen  but 
thirteen  thousand  who  will  vote  at  thy  command,  O  holiness." 

Then  the  prince  fell  on  his  face  and  took  farewell  of    the 
sovereign. 
When  Hiram  went  out,  the  high  priest  said,  — 

' '  I  know  not  whether  it  was  well  to  have  a  foreigner  at  this 
consultation." 


596  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"I  needed  him  here;  for  not  only  has  he  great  influence 
over  our  merchants,  but,  what  is  more  important,  he  is  obtain 
ing  money  for  us  at  present.  I  wish  to  convince  the  man  that 
I  remember  what  is  due  to  him,  and  have  means  to  pay  it." 

Silence  followed,  which  Pentuer  made  use  of,  and  said,  — 

"  If  thou  permit,  O  holiness,  I  will  go  at  once  to  occupy 
myself  with  assembling  land-tillers  and  artisans.  They  will 
all  vote  with  our  lord,  but  from  the  multitude  we  must  select 
the  wisest." 

He  took  leave  of  the  pharaoh  and  went  out. 

"But  thou,  Tutmosis,"  inquired  Rameses. 

"My  lord,"  said  the  favorite,  "I  am  so  certain  of  thy 
nobility  and  army  that  I  make  bold  to  turn  to  thee  with  a 
request  for  myself." 

"  Thou  wishest  money?  " 

"  Not  at  all.     I  wish  to  marry." 

"Thou!"  exclaimed  the  pharaoh.  "What  woman  nas 
earned  from  the  gods  such  a  happiness?" 

"She  is  the  beautiful  Hebron,  the  daughter  of  Antefa,  the 
most  worthy  nomarch  of  Thebes,"  replied  Tutmosis,  laughing. 
"  If  thou  w,ilt  be  pleased  to  speak  on  my  behalf  to  that  revered 
family  —  I  had  thought  to  say  that  my  love  for  thee  would  be 
increased,  but  I  will  not  say  so,  for  I  should  tell  untruth." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  the  pharaoh,  slapping  him  on  the  shoulder, 
"  do  not  persuade  me  of  that  which  I  know.  I  will  go  to 
Antefa  to-morrow  and  it  seems  to  me  that  in  the  course  of  a 
few  days  I  shall  arrange  a  wedding.  But  now  thou  mayst  go 
to  thy  Hebron." 

Left  with  Sem  alone,  his  holiness  said,  — 

"  Thy  face  is  gloomy.  Dost  thou  doubt  that  we  may  find 
thirteen  priests  to  carry  out  my  orders  ?  " 

"I  am  certain,"  replied  Sem,  "that  almost  all  the  priests 
and  nomarchs  will  do  what  may  be  needed  for  the  happiness 
of  Egypt  and  thy  satisfaction,  holiness.  But  be  pleased  not 
to  forgot  that  when  it  is  a  question  of  the  treasure  of  the 
labyrinth  the  final  decision  will  be  given  to  Amon." 

"  Is  that  the  statue  of  Amon  in  Thebes?  " 

"It  is." 

The  pharaoh  waved  his  hand  contemptuously,  — 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  597 

"Amon  is  Herhor  and  Mefres.  That  they  will  not  agree  I 
know  ;  but  I  have  no  intention  of  sacrificing  Egypt  to  the 
stubbornness  of  two  persons." 

"Thou  art  mistaken,  holiness,"  answered  Sem  with  dignity. 
; '  It  is  true  that  very  often  statues  of  gods  do  what  high  priests 
wish,  but  not  always.  In  our  temples  mysterious  and  un 
common  things  happen  sometimes.  At  moments  the  statues 
of  the  gods  say  and  do  what- they  themselves  wish." 

"  In  that  case  I  am  at  rest,"  interrupted  the  pharaoh.  "  The 
gods  know  the  condition  of  the  state,  and  they  read  my  heart. 
I  wish  Egypt  to  be  happy.  And  as  I  am  striving  to  that  end 
alone  no  wise  and  good  god  can  hinder  me." 

"  May  thy  words,  holiness,  be  verified,"  whispered  the  high 
priest. 

4t  Dost  thou  wish  to  tell  me  anything  more?  "  asked  Rameses, 
noticing  that  his  substitute  in  religion  was  delaying  his 
departure. 

"Yes,  lord.  It  is  my  duty  to  remind  thee  that  every 
pharaoh  after  reaching  power  and  burying  his  predecessor  must 
think  of  two  buildings:  a  tomb  for  himself  and  a  temple  for 
the  gods." 

"  Just  so!  I  have  thought  more  than  once  of  this,  but  not 
having  money  I  do  not  issue  orders.  For  thou  must  under 
stand,"  added  he  with  animation,  "that  if  I  build  it  will  be 
something  great,  something  which  will  command  Egypt  not  to 
forget  me  quickly." 

"  Then  dost  thou  wish  to  have  a  pyramid?  " 

"  No.  I  could  not,  of  course,  build  a  greater  pyramid  than 
that  of  Cheops,  nor  a  greater  temple  than  that  of  Amon  in 
Thebes.  My  kingdom  is  too  weak  to  accomplish  great  works. 
I  must  make  something  entirely  new,  therefore,  for  I  tell  thee 
that  our  buildings  weary  me.  They  are  all  alike,  just  as  men 
are,  and  differ  from  one  another  only  in  proportions,  as  a 
man  is  bigger  than  a  child." 

"Then  what?"  asked  the  high  priest,  opening  his  eyes 
widely. 

"I  have  spoken  with  the  Greek  Dion,  who  is  the  most 
famous  architect  among  us,  and  he  praised  my  plan.  For  my 
own  tomb  I  wish  to  build  a  round  tower  with  internal  stairs, 


598  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

like  that  in  Babylon.  I  shall  build  a  temple,  not  to  Osiris  or 
Isis,  but  to  the  One  God  in  whom  all  believe :  the  Egyptians, 
the  Chaldeans,  the  Phoenicians,  and  the  Jews.  I  wish  that 
temple  to  be  like  the  palace  of  King  Assar,  the  model  of  which 
Sargon  brought  to  my  father." 

"Those  are  great  plans,"  said  the  high  priest,  shaking  his 
head,  "  but  it  is  impossible  to  execute  them.  The  Babylonian 
towers  are  not  lasting  because  of  their  form,  they  overturn 
easily,  while  our  edifices  must  endure  for  ages.  A  temple  to 
the  One  God  we  may  not  raise,  for  he  needs  no  food,  drink, 
or  raiment.  The  whole  world  is  his  dwelling-place.  Where, 
then,  is  the  temple  which  could  hold  him  ?  Where  is  the  priest 
who  would  dare  to  make  offerings  before  him?" 

*'  Well,  let  us  build  a  residence  for  Amon-Ra,"  said  the 
pharaoh. 

"  Yes,  if  it  is  not  like  the  palace  of  King  Assar,  for  that  is 
an  Assyrian  building,  and  it  is  not  proper  for  us  Egyptians  to 
imitate  barbarians." 

u  I  do  not  understand  thee,"  interrupted  Rameses,  with 
irritation. 

"  Listen  to  me,  lord,"  answered  Sem.  "  Look  at  snails,  each 
one  of  them  has  a  different  shell :  one  is  winding,  but  blunt ; 
another  is  winding,  but  pointed  ;  a  third  is  like  a  box.  In  the 
same  way  precisely  each'  people  build  edifices  according  to 
their  blood  and  disposition.  Be  pleased  also  to  remember  that 
Egyptian  edifices  differ  as  much  from  those  of  Assyria  as  the 
Egyptian  people  differ  from  Assyrians.  Among  us  the  funda 
mental  form  of  every  building  is  a  pointless  pyramid,  —  the  most 
enduring  form,  as  Egypt  is  the  most  enduring  among  king 
doms.  With  Assyrians  the  fundamental  form  is  a  cube,  which 
is  injured  easily  and  is  subject  to  destruction. 

"  The  proud  and  frivolous  Assyrian  puts  his  cubes  one  upon 
another,  and  rears  a  many-storied  structure  under  which  foun 
dations  yield.  The  obedient  and  prudent  Egyptian  puts  his 
truncated  pyramids  one  behind  the  other.  In  that  way 
nothing  hangs  in  the  air,  but  every  part  of  the  structure  is 
resting  on  the  ground.  From  this  it  comes  that  our  buildings 
are  broad  and  endure  forever,  while  those  of  the  Assyri 
ans  are  tall  and  weak,  like  their  state,  which  at  first  rises 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  599 

quickly,  but  in  a  couple  of  generations  there  is  nothing  left  of 
it  but  ruins. , 

"  The  Assyrian  is  a  noisy  self-praiser,  so  in  his  buildings 
everything  is  put  on  the  outside  :  columns,  sculpture,  pictures. 
While  the  modest  Egyptian  hides  the  most  beautiful  columns 
and  carving  inside  the  temples  —  like  a  sage  who  conceals  in 
his  heart  lofty  thoughts,  desires,  and  feelings  —  he  does  not 
ornament  his  shoulders  and  breast  with  them.  Among  us 
everything  beautiful  is  hidden ;  among  them,  everything  is 
made  to  show.  The  Assyrian,  if  he  could,  would  cut  open 
his  stomach  to  exhibit  to  the  world  what  peculiar  foods  he 
is  digesting." 

"  Speak  —  speak  on  !  "  said  Rameses. 

"  Not  much  remains  for  me  to  say,"  continued  Sem.  "I 
only  wish,  lord,  to  turn  thy  attention  to  the  general  form  of 
our  edifices,  and  those  of  the  Assyrians.  When  I  was  in  Nin 
eveh  a  few  years  ago,  I  observed  the  Assyrian  buildings  tower 
ing  above  the  earth  haughtily ;  it  seemed  to  me  that  they  were 
raging  horses  which  had  broken  from  the  bit  and  reared  on 
their  haunches,  but  would  soon  fall  and  perhaps  break  their 
legs  in  addition. 

"Now  try,  holiness,  to  look  from  a  lofty  point  on  some 
Egyptian  temple.  What  does  it  recall  to  thee?  This  —  a  man 
prostrate  on  the  earth  and  praying.  The  two  pylons  are  his 
arms.  The  hall  '  of  columns,'  or  '  the  heavenly  chamber,' 
is  his  head,  the  chamber  of  'divine  apparition'  and  'the 
tables  of  offering '  are  his  breasts,  and  the  secret  retreat  of  the 
god  is  the  heart  of  the  pious  Egyptian.  Our  temple  teaches  us 
what  we  should  be.  '  Have  a  hand  as  strong  as  a  pylon,'  it 
says  to  us,  i  and  arms  as  powerful  as  walls.  Have  in  thy  head 
reason  as  broad  and  rich  as  the  forecourt  of  the  temple,  a  soul 
as  pure  as  the  chamber  of  "apparition"  and  of  "offering," 
and  in  thy  heart  have  God,  O  Egyptian!'  But  the  Assyrian 
buildings  say  to  that  people:  '  Tower  above  nations,  O  Assyr 
ian  ;  rear  thy  head  beyond  every  other  !  Thou  wilt  do  nothing 
great  here  on  earth,  but  at  least  thou  wilt  leave  many  ruins.' 

"  Wouldst  thou,  then,  O  sovereign,  venture  to  rear  in  our 
land  Assyrian  edifices  and  imitate  a  people  which  Egypt  con 
temns  and  despises?" 


600  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE    PRIEST 

In  spite  of  Sem's  explanation,  even  now  Rameses  judged  that 
the  Assyrian  palaces  surpassed  those  of  Egypt  in  beauty.  But 
he  so  hated  the  Assyrians  that  his  heart  began  to  hesitate. 

"In  that  case,"  said  he,  "  I  will  defer  the  building  of  my 
tomb  and  the  temple.  But  do  ye  sages  who  are  kindly  disposed 
toward  me,  think  over  plans  of  edifices  which  would  give  my 
name  to  the  remotest  generations." 

"A  superhuman  pride  fills  the  soul  of  this  young  man!" 
thought  the  high  priest,  and  he  took  farewell  of  the  pharaoh  in 
sadness. 


CHAPTER  LX 

MEANWHILE  Pentuer  made  ready  to  revisit  Lower  Egypt 
and  find  on  the  one  hand  thirteen  delegates  from 
among  land-tillers  and  artisans  for  the  pharaoh,  and  on  the 
other  to  encourage  the  working  population  to  demand  the  relief 
which  the  new  sovereign  had  promised,  for  according  to  his 
conviction  the  greatest  question  for  Egypt  was  to  abolish  the 
injustice  and  the  abuses  to  which  the  toiling  people  were 
subject. 

Still,  Pentuer  was  a  priest,  and  not  only  did  he  not  desire  the 
fall  of  his  order,  but  he  did  not  even  wish  to  break  the  bonds 
which  connected  him  with  it.  Hence  to  emphasize  his  loyalty 
he  went  to  take  farewell  of  Herhor. 

The  once  mighty  dignitary  received  him  with  a  smile. 

"  A  rare  guest  —  a  rare  guest!"  exclaimed  he.  "Since 
thou  hadst  the  desire  to  become  the  counsellor  of  his  holiness 
thou  dost  not  show  thyself  before  me.  True,  thou  art  not  the 
only  one !  But  whatever  happens,  I  shall  not  forget  thy  ser 
vices,  wert  thou  even  to  avoid  me  still  more  than  at  present." 

"Worthiness,  I  am  not  a  counsellor  of  our  lord,  nor  do  I 
avoid  thee  to  whose  favor  I  am  indebted  for  what  I  am  to-day." 

"  I  know,  I  know!  "  answered  Herhor.  l{  Thou  hast  refused 
the  high  dignity  so  as  not  to  work  to  the  destruction  of  the 
temples.  I  know,  I  know  !  though  perhaps  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  thou  hast  not  become  the  adviser  of  that  giddy  milksop, 
who,  as  it  were,  governs  us.  To  a  certainty  thou  wouldst  not 


THE    PHARAOH   AND    THE   PRIEST  601 

have  suffered  him  to  surround  himself  with  those  traitors  who 
are  ruining  him." 

Pentuer,  not  wishing  to  speak  of  such  ticklish  subjects,  told 
llerhor  why  he  was  going  to  Lower  Eg}rpt. 

"  Very  well,"  answered  Herhor,  "  let  Rameses  XIII.  call  an 
assembly  of  all  the  orders.  He  has  a  right  to  call  it." 

"But,"  he  added  suddenly,  "I  am  sorry  that  thou  art  in 
volved  in  such  labor.  Great  changes  have  taken  place  in  thee. 
Thou  rememberest  thy  words  to  my  adjutant  during  those  ma 
noeuvres  in  Pi-Bailos  ?  I  will  remind  thee  :  thou  didst  tell  him 
that  it  was  necessary  to  limit  the  abuses  and  license  of  the  pha- 
raohs.  But  to-day  thou  art  supporting  the  childish  preten 
sions  of  the  greatest  profligate  ever  known  to  Egypt — " 

"Rameses  XIII.,"  said  Pentuer,  interrupting,  "wishes  to 
improve  the  lot  of  common  people.  I  should  be  stupid  and 
mean,  therefore,  were  I,  the  son  of  earth-tillers,  not  to  serve 
him  in  this  question." 

"  But  thou  dost  not  ask  whether  that  would  not  injure  us,  the 
priesthood." 

Pentuer  was  astonished. 

"  But  thou  thyself  givest  great  relief  to  common  men  belong 
ing  to  the  temple,"  said  he.  "I  have,  besides,  thy  permission." 

"What?    Which?"  inquired  Herhor. 

"  Recall,  worthiness,  that  night  when  we  greeted  Beroes. 
Mefres  declared  at  that  time  that  Egypt  had  fallen  because 
the  priestly  order  was  lowered,  while  I  asserted  that  the  misery 
of  the  people  was  the  cause  of  the  suffering  of  the  State,  to 
which  thou,  so  far  as  I  remember,  didst  answer :  *  Let  Mefres 
occupy  himself  with  bettering  the  priesthood,  Pentuer  in  im 
proving  the  lot  of  common  people,  while  I  will  avoid  destructive 
war  between  Egypt  and  Assyria  —  ' ' 

"Well,  dost  thou  see,"  interrupted  the  high  priest,  "it  is 
thy  duty  to  act  with  us,  not  with  Rameses." 

"  Does  he  wish  war  with  Assyria,"  replied  Pentuer,  ener 
getically,  "  or  does  he  hinder  priests  from  acquiring  wisdom? 
He  wishes  to  give  the  people  every  seventh  day  for  rest,  and 
later  to  give  each  family  of  earth-workers  a  small  bit  of  land 
for  subsistence.  Do  not  tell  me,  worthiness,  that  the  pharaoh 
wishes  evil,  for  it  has  been  verified  on  temple  ground  that  a 


602  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

free  man  who  has  his  own  patch  of  earth  labors  incomparably 
better  than  one  without  freedom." 

"  I  am  not  opposed  to  relieving  common  people,"  said  Her- 
hor,  "  but  I  am  convinced  that  Rameses  will  do  nothing  for 
them." 

"  Surely  not  if  you  refuse  him  money." 

"  Even  were  we  to  give  him  a  pyramid  of  gold  and  silver,  and 
another  of  precious  stones,  he  would  do  nothing  —  that  is  a 
mad  stripling  whom  the  Assyrian  ambassador,  Sargon,  never 
mentioned  otherwise  than  as  a  frivolous  youngster." 

"  The  pharaoh  has  great  capabilities." 

"  But  he  has  no  knowledge,  and  no  skill,"  replied  Herhor. 
"  He  barely  visited  the  high  school  a  little  and  left  it  at  the 
earliest.  Hence,  to-day,  in  affairs  of  state  he  is  like  a  blind 
person ;  he  is  like  a  child  which  puts  out  pieces  boldly  on  a 
board,  but  has  no  idea  how  to  play  at  draughts." 

"  Still  he  governs  —  " 

"Oh,  Pentuer,  what  is  his  government?"  interrupted  the 
high  priest,  with  laughter.  "  He  has  opened  new  military 
schools,  he  has  increased  the  number  of  regiments,  he  is  arming 
the  whole  people,  he  has  promised  holidays  to  working  men. 
But  how  will  he  carry  out  his  projects?  Thou  keepest  far  from 
him,  hence  knowest  nothing ;  but  I  assure  thee  that  he,  when 
issuing  orders,  never  stops  to  ask:  Who  will  carry  out  this? 
What  are  the  means  ?  What  will  follow  ?  It  seems  to  thee  that 
he  governs.  It  is  I  who  govern,  I  govern  all  the  time,  I,  whom, 
he  dismissed.  I  am  the  cause  that  to-day  fewer  taxes  come  to 
the  treasury,  but  I  also  prevent  the  rebellion  of  laborers; 
because  of  me  they  do  not  leave  work  on  the  canals,  dams,  and 
roadways.  To  sum  up,  I  have  twice  restrained  Assyria  from 
declaring  war  on  us,  war  which  that  madman  was  calling  out 
by  his  military  dispositions. 

k '  Rameses  govern !  He  merely  rouses  disorder.  Thou  hadst 
trial  of  his  management  in  Lower  Egypt :  he  drank,  frolicked, 
brought  in  woman  after  woman,  and  pretended  to  occupy  him 
self  with  administration  of  the  province,  but  he  understood 
nothing,  absolutely  nothing.  What  is  worst  of  all,  he  became 
intimate  with  Phoenicians,  with  bankrupt  nobles,  and  traitors  of 
various  kinds,  who  are  urging  him  to  ruin." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  603 

"But  the  victory  of  the  Soda  Lakes?"  inquired  Pentuer. 

"  I  recognize  energy  in  him,  and  a  knowledge  of  military 
art,"  added  Herhor.  "  That  is  the  one  thing  that  he  knows. 
But  say  thyself  would  he  have  won  the  battle  at  the  Soda 
Lakes  were  it  not  for  aid  from  thee  and  others  of  the  priestly 
order?  I  know  that  ye  informed  him  of  every  movement  of  the 
Libyan  band.  And  now  think,  could  Rameses,  even  with  help 
from  you,  win  a  battle  against  Nitager,  for  example?  Nitager 
is  a  master,  Rameses  is  a  mere  apprentice." 

"  Then  what  will  be  the  end  of  this  hatred  between  him  and 
you?"  inquired  Pentuer. 

"Hatred!"  repeated  Herhor.  "Could  I  hate  a  frivolous 
fellow,  who,  moreover,  is  surrounded,  like  a  deer  in  a  ravine 
by  hunters !  But  I  must  confess  that  his  rule  is  so  full  of 
danger  that  if  Rameses  had  a  brother,  or  if  Nitager  were 
younger,  we  should  set  aside  the  present  pharaoh." 

"And  thou,  worthiness,  would  become  his  heir  !  "  burst  out 
Pentuer. 

Herhor  was  by  no  means  offended. 

"  Pentuer  thou  hast  grown  marvellously  dull  since  thy  entry 
into  politics  on  thy  own  account,"  replied  he,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.  "  Of  course,  if  the  country  were  without  a  pha 
raoh,  it  would  be  my  duty  to  become  one  by  virtue  of  my  office 
of  high  priest  of  Amon,  and  chief  of  the  supreme  council.  But 
what  is  the  office  to  me?  Have  I  not  had  more  power  for  a 
number  of  years  than  the  pharaoh?  Or  do  I  not  to-day,  though 
I  am  a  minister  of  war  in  disgrace,  carry  out  in  this  state  what 
ever  I  think  needful  ? 

"Those  same  high  priests,  treasurers,  judges,  nomarchs,  and 
even  generals  who  avoid  me  at  present,  must  carry  out  every 
secret  order  of  the  council  furnished  with  my  seal.  Is  there  a 
man  in  Egypt  who  would  dare  refuse  obedience  to  those  orders  ? 
Wouldst  thou,  for  instance,  dare  oppose  them?" 

Pentuer  hung  his  head. 

If  in  spite  of  the  death  of  Rameses  XII.  the  supreme  privy 
council  of  priests  had  maintained  itself,  Rameses  XIII.  must 
either  yield  or  fight  a  life-and-death  battle. 

The  pharaoh  had  on  his  side  all  the  people,  all  the  army, 
many  priests,  and  the  majority  of  the  civil  dignitaries.  The 


604  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

council  could  reckon  on  hardly  two  thousand  adherents,  on  its 
treasures  and  on  its  incomparably  wise  organization.  The 
forces  were  utterly  unequal,  but  the  issue  of  the  battle  was 
very  doubtful. 

"  Then  ye  have  determined  to  destroy  the  pharaoh  ?  "  asked 
Pentuer. 

"Not  at  all.  We  only  wish  to  save  the  state." 
"  In  that  case  what  should  Rameses  XIII.  do?  " 
"  What  he  will  do  I  know  not.  But  I  know  what  his  father 
did,"  answered  Herhor.  "  Rameses  XII.  began  to  govern  in 
the  same  impetuous  and  tyrannical  fashion,  but  when  money 
failed  him,  and  his  most  zealous  adherents  began  to  despise 
him,  he  turned  to  the  gods.  He  surrounded  himself  with 
priests,  he  learned  from  them,  nay,  he  even  married  a  daughter 
of  the  high  priest  Amenhotep.  And,  after  a  few  years,  he 
went  so  far  that  he  became  himself  not  only  a  pious,  but  a 
very  learned  high  priest." 

"  But  if  the  pharaoh  will  not  follow  that  example?  " 
"  Then  we  shall  dispense  with  him,"  said  Herhor. 
"Listen  to  me  Pentuer,"  continued  he,  after   a  while.     "I 
know  not  only  the  acts,  but  even  the  thoughts  of  that  pharaoh 
of  thine,  who,  moreover,  has   not  been   solemnly  crowned  yet, 
hence  for  us  he  is  nothing.     I  know  that  he  wants  to  make 
the  priests  his  servants,  and  himself  sole  lord  of  Egypt. 

"  But  such  a  plan  is  stupid,  it  is  even  treasonable.  Not  the 
pharaohs,  as  thou  knowest  well,  but  the  gods  and  the  priests 
created  Egypt.  It  is  not  the  pharaohs  who  mark  the  rise  and 
fall  of  the  Nile  and  regulate  its  overflows  ;  it  is  not  the  pha 
raohs  who  teach  the  people  to  sow,  to  gather  fruits  and  rear 
cattle.  It  is  not  the  pharaohs  who  cure  diseases  and  watch 
over  the  safety  of  the  state  against  foreign  enemies. 

"What  would  happen,  tell  me  that,  were  our  order  to  yield 
Egypt  to  the  mercy  of  the  pharaohs?  The  wisest  pharaohs 
have  behind  them  the  experience  of  a  few  years  at  the  longest, 
but  the  priestly  order  has  investigated  and  taught  during  tens 
of  thousands  of  years.  The  mightiest  ruler  has  two  eyes 
and  two  hands,  while  we  possess  thousands  of  eyes  and  thou 
sands  of  hands  in  all  provinces  at  home,  and  in  all  foreign 
countries. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  605 

"  Can  the  activity  of  a  pharaoh  equal  ours;  aud  when  opin 
ions  differ  who  should  yield,  we  or  the  pharaoh?" 

"  Well,  what  am  I  to  do  now?"  inquired  Pentuer. 

"  Do  what  that  stripling  commands  if  thou  betray  not  holy 
secrets.  And  leave  the  rest  —  to  time.  I  wish  most  sincerely 
that  the  youth  called  Rameses  XIII.  might  come  to  his  senses, 
and  I  suppose  that  he  would  were  it  not  that  he  has  attached 
himself  to  disgusting  traitors  over  whom  the  hands  of  the  gods 
are  now  suspended." 

Pentuer  took  farewell  of  the  high  priest.  He  was  filled  with 
dark  forebodings,  but  he  did  not  fail  in  spirit,  since  he  knew 
that  whatever  he  might  gain  in  improving  the  condition  of  the 
common  man  would  remain,  even  were  the  pharaoh  to  bend 
before  the  power  of  the  priestly  order. 

"  In  the  worst  case,"  thought  he,  "  we  must  do  what  we  can, 
and  what  pertains  to  us.  When  conditions  improve,  what  is 
sown  to-day  will  give  fruit  hereafter." 

But  still  he  determined  to  renounce  agitation  among  the 
people.  He  was  even  ready  to  calm  the  impatient,  so  as 
not  to  increase  trouble  for  the  pharaoh. 

A  couple  of  weeks  later  Pentuer  entered  the  boundaries  of 
Lower  Egypt,  looking  about  on  the  way  for  the  wisest  of  com 
mon  men  and  artisans  from  whom  it  would  be  possible  to  select 
delegates  to  the  assembly  summoned  by  the  pharaoh. 

Everywhere  on  the  way  he  found  signs  of  the  greatest  excite 
ment.  Earth-tillers,  as  well  as  artisans,  were  trying  to  have  the 
seventh  day  for  rest  and  receive  pay  for  all  public  wrorks,  as 
was  the  case  in  former  ages.  Aud  it  was  only  through  remon 
strances  from  priests  of  various  temples,  that  a  general  uprising 
was  averted,  or  at  least  that  work  was  continued. 

At  the  same  time  Pentuer  was  struck  by  certain  new  phe 
nomena  which  he  had  not  observed  a  month  earlier:  first  of 
all  the  people  had  divided  into  two  parties.  Some  were  par 
tisans  of  the  pharaoh  and  enemies  of  the  priests ;  others  were 
active  against  Phoenicians.  Some  proved  that  the  priests 
ought  to  give  the  treasures  of  the  labyrinth  to  the  pharaoh; 
others  whispered  that  the  pharaoh  afforded  foreigners  too  much 
protection. 

But  strangest  of  all  was  a  report  of  unknown  origin  that 


606  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Rameses  XIII.  showed  signs  of  insanity,  like  his  elder  brother, 
who  for  this  cause  had  been  excluded  from  succession. 
Priests,  scribes,  even  common  men  discussed  this  report  of 
insanity. 

"Who  told  thee  such  a  lie?"  inquired  Pentuer  of  an  en 
gineer. 

"It  is  no  lie,"  replied  the  engineer,  "it  is  sad  reality.  In 
the  Theban  palaces  they  saw  the  pharaoh  running  naked 
through  the  gardens.  One  night  he  climbed  a  tree  under  the 
window  of  his  mother's  chamber,  and  spoke  to  her." 

Pentuer  assured  the  man  that  no  longer  than  two  weeks 
before  he  had  seen  Rameses  in  the  best  of  health.  He  ob 
served  at  once,  however,  that  the  engineer  did  not  believe 
him. 

"This  is  Herhor's  work!"  thought  he.  "Priests  alone 
could  have  news  from  Thebes  so  promptly." 

For  the  moment  he  lost  desire  to  busy  himself  in  finding 
delegates,  but  he  regained  energy  at  the  thought  that  what  the 
people  received  to-day  they  would  not  lose  to-morrow,  unless 
something  uncommon  should  happen. 

Beyond    Memphis   to   the  north   of   the    pyramids  and    the 
sphinx,  on  the  boundary  of  the  desert,  was  a  small  temple  of 
the  goddess  Nut.     An  old  priest  Menes  lived  in  that  temple. 
This  sage  had  more  knowledge  of  the  stars  than  any  man  in 
Egypt;  he  was  an  engineer  in  addition. 

When  a  great  public  edifice  was  to  be  built  or  a  new  canal 
made,  Menes  went  to  the  place  and  gave  directions.  Apart 
from  such  tasks  he  lived  in  solitude  and  poverty  in  his  temple; 
at  night  he  investigated  the  stars,  in  the  daytime  he  worked 
over  curious  instruments. 

For  some  years  Pentuer  had  not  been  in  that  place ;  hence 
he  was  struck  by  neglect  in  it,  and  poverty.  The  brick 
wall  was  falling,  in  the  garden  the  trees  were  withering,  in 
the  yard  a  lean  goat  moved  around  and  a  few  hens  were 
scratching. 

There  was  no  one  near  the  temple.  Only  after  Pentuer  had 
called  out  did  an  old  man  come  down  from  a  pylon.  His  feet 
were  bare,  on  his  head  was  a  soiled  cap  like  that  of  a  laborer, 
around  his  waist  was  a  ragged  girdle,  and  on  his  shoulder  a 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  607 

panther  skin  from  which  the  hair  had  fallen.  Still,  his  bearing 
was  dignified,  and  his  face  full  of  wisdom.  He  looked  quickly 
at  the  guest  and  said,  — 

"Either  I  am  mistaken,  or  thou  art  Pentuer?" 

"I  am  he,"  answered  the  newly  arrived,  and  he  embraced  the 
old  man  with  heartiness. 

"Ho!  ho!"  exclaimed  Menes,  for  it  was  he;  UI  see  that 
thou  hast  changed  for  official  reasons.  Thou  hast  a  smoother 
face,  whiter  hands,  and  a  gold  chain  on  thy  neck.  Mother 
Nut  of  the  heavenly  ocean  would  have  to  wait  long  for 
such  ornaments." 

Pentuer  wished  to  remove  the  chain,  but  Menes  stopped  him 
with  a  smile. 

"Do  not.  If  thou  knew  what  jewels  we  have  in  the  heavens 
thou  wouldst  not  hasten  with  an  offering  of  gold.  Well,  hast 
thou  come  to  stay  with  us?" 

Pentuer  shook  his  head. 

"No,"  replied  he,  "I  have  come  only  to  bow  down  before 
thee,  divine  teacher." 

"And  again  to  court?"  laughed  the  old  man.  "Oh  ye,  ye 
courtiers!  If  ye  knew  what  ye  lose  by  deserting  wisdom  for 
palaces  ye  would  be  the  saddest  of  mankind." 

"Art  thou  alone,  O  my  teacher?" 

"As  a  palm  in  a  desert,  especially  to-day  when  my  deaf 
and  dumb  servant  has  gone  with  a  basket  to  Memphis  to  beg 
something  for  the  mother  of  Ra  and  her  chaplain." 

"And  is  it  not  disagreeable  here?" 

"For  me!"  exclaimed  Menes.  "Since  I  saw  thee  last  I 
have  snatched  from  the  gods  some  secrets  which  I  would  not 
give  for  the  two  crowns  of  Egypt." 

"Are  they  secrets  between  thee  and  me?  "  inquired  Pentuer. 

"How,  secrets?  A  year  ago  I  completed  all  measures  and 
calculations  touching  the  size  of  the  earth." 

"What  does  that  mean?  " 

Menes  looked  around  and  lowered  his  voice,  — 

"Of  course  it  is  known  to  thee  that  the  earth  is  not  flat  like 
a  table,  but  is  an  immense  ball  on  the  surface  of  which  seas, 
countries,  and  cities  are  situated?  " 

"That  is  known,"  said  Pentuer. 


608  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

uNot  to  all,"  answered  Menes.  "And  it  was  not  known  to 
any  one  how  great  that  globe  might  be." 

"But  dost  thou  know?  "  inquired  Pentuer,  almost  frightened. 

"I  know.  Our  infantry  marches  about  thirteen  Egyptian 
miles1  daily.  The  globe  of  the  earth  is  so  great  that  our 
armies  would  require  five  whole  years  to  march  around  it." 

"O  gods!  "  exclaimed  Pentuer.  "Does  it  not  frighten  thee, 
father,  to  think  of  such  subjects  ?  " 

Menes  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"To  measure  size,  what  is  there  terrible  in  that?  To  meas 
ure  the  size  of  a  pyramid,  or  the  earth  is  the  same  kind  of 
problem.  I  did  a  more  difficult  thing.  I  measured  the  dis 
tance  of  our  temple  from  the  palace  of  the  pharaoh  without 
crossing  the  river." 

"Terror!"  exclaimed  Pentuer. 

"What  terror?  I  have  discovered  a  thing  which  beyond 
doubt  ye  will  all  fear.  But  tell  this  to  no  one:  in  the  month 
Paoni  (June,  July)  there  will  be  an  eclipse  of  the  sun;  night 
will  come  in  the  daytime.  And  may  I  die  a  hunger  death,  if 
I  have  failed  even  three  minutes  in  the  reckoning." 

Pentuer  touched  the  amulet  which  he  wore  on  his  breast,  and 
uttered  a  prayer. 

"I  have  read,"  said  he,  "in  sacred  books  that  more  than 
once  to  the  suffering  of  people  it  became  night  at  midday. 
But  what  is  that?  I  do  not  understand." 

"Dost  thou  see  the  pyramid?"  asked  Menes  on  a  sudden, 
pointing  toward  the  desert. 

"I  see  it." 

"Now  put  thy  hand  before  thy  eyes.  Dost  thou  see  the 
pyramid?  Thou  dost  not.  Well,  the  eclipse  of  the  sun  is  the 
same  kind  of  thing ;  the  moon  passes  between  the  sun  and  us, 
hides  the  father  of  light  and  makes  night  in  the  daytime." 

"And  will  that  happen  here?  "  inquired  Pentuer. 

"In  the  month  Paoni.  I  have  written  about  this  to  the 
pharaoh,  thinking  that  in  return  he  would  make  some  offering 
to  the  temple.  But  on  reading  the  letter  he  laughed  at  me, 
and  commanded  my  messenger  to  take  the  news  to  Herhor." 

"Well,  what  did  Herhor  do?  " 

1  Three  geographical  miles. 


THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  G09 

"Herhor  gave  us  thirty  measures  of  barley.  He  is  the  only 
man  in  Egypt  who  reveres  science,  but  the  young  pharaoh  is 
frivolous." 

"Do  not  be  severe  on  him,  father,"  interrupted  Pentuer. 
"Rameses  XIII.  wishes  to  improve  the  lot  of  laborers  and 
artisans,  and  give  them  every  seventh  day  to  rest;  he  forbids 
to  beat  them  without  trial,  and  perhaps  he  will  find  laud  for 
them." 

"But  I  tell  thee  that  he  is  light-minded,"  said  the  irritated 
Menes.  "Two  months  ago  I  sent  him  a  great  plan  for  lessening 
the  toil  of  laborers,  and  he  laughed  at  me.  He  is  conceited 
and  ignorant!  " 

"Thou  art  prejudiced,  father.  But  tell  me  thy  plan  and 
perhaps  I  may  assist  in  applying  it." 

"Plan?"  repeated  the  old  man.  "It  is  not  a  plan,  it  is  a 
great  fact." 

He  rose  from  the  bench  and  went  then  with  Pentuer  to  a 
pond  in  the  garden,  at  which  was  an  arbor  concealed  alto 
gether  by  plant  growth.  In  this  structure  was  a  large  wheel 
in  perpendicular  position  with  a  number  of  buckets  on  the 
outer  rim  of  it.  Menes  went  into  the  centre  and  began  to 
move  his  feet;  the  wheel  turned  and  the  buckets  took  water 
from  the  pond  and  poured  it  into  a  trough  which  stood  some 
what  higher. 

"A  curious  instrument!  "  said  Pentuer. 

"But  dost  thou  divine  what  it  may  do  for  the  people  of 
Egypt?" 

"No." 

"Then  imagine  this  wheel  to  be  five  or  ten  times  greater 
than  it  is,  and  that  instead  of  a  man  a  pair  of  bullocks  are 
moving  it." 

"Something  —  something  appears  to  me,"  said  Pentuer, 
"but  still  I  do  not  understand  clearly." 

"It  is  very  simple,"  said  Menes.  "By  means  of  this  wheel 
oxen  and  horses  might  raise  water  from  the  Nile  and  pour  it 
into  higher  channels.  In  that  way  half  a  million  of  men  might 
have  rest  instead  of  working  at  buckets.  Now  thou  seest  that 
wisdom  does  more  for  the  welfare  of  mankind  than  pharaohs." 

Pentuer  shook  his  head. 

39 


610  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"How  much  timber  would  be  needed  for  that  change!  How 
many  oxen,  how  much  pasture.  It  seems  to  me,  father,  that 
thy  wheel  would  not  take  the  place  of  the  seventh  day  for 
rest." 

"I  see  that  office  has  not  benefited  thee,"  replied  Menes, 
shrugging  his  shoulders.  "But  though  thou  hast  lost  that 
alertness  which  I  admired  in  thee,  I  will  show  still  another 
thing.  Perhaps  when  thou  hast  returned  to  wisdom,  and  I 
am  dead,  thou  wilt  work  at  improving  and  spreading  my 
inventions." 

They  went  back  to  the  pylon,  and  Menes  put  some  fuel 
under  a  brass  kettle.  He  blew  the  flame  and  soon  the  water 
was  boiling.  On  the  kettle  was  a  perpendicular  spout  covered 
with  a  heavy  stone.  When  the  kettle  began  to  hiss,  Menes 
said, — 

"Stand  in  this  niche  and  look." 

He  touched  a  crank  fastened  to  the  spout;  in  one  moment 
the  heavy  stone  flew  through  the  air  and  hot  steam  filled  the 
chamber. 

"Wonderful!  "  cried  Pentuer.  But  soon  he  calmed  himself 
and  asked,  — 

"Well,  but  how  will  that  stone  improve  the  condition  of 
people  in  Egypt?" 

"The  stone  in  no  way.  But,"  said  the  sage,  now  im 
patient,  "I  will  say  this  to  thee,  and  do  thou  remember  it:  the 
time  will  come  when  horses  and  oxen  will  take  the  place  of 
people  in  labor,  and  also  when  boiling  water  will  take  the 
place  of  horses  and  oxen." 

"But  what  good  will  that  do  the  people?  "  insisted  Pentuer. 

"Woe  is  me!"  exclaimed  Menes,  seizing  his  head.  "I 
know  not  whether  it  is  because  thou  hast  grown  old,  or  dull; 
*  the  people '  have  hidden  the  whole  world  from  thee  and  dark 
ened  thy  mind.  If  sages  had  only  the  people  in  mind  they 
would  be  forced  to  throw  away  their  books  and  calculations 
and  become  shepherds." 

"But  everything  must  be  of  some  use,"  said  Pentuer,  now 
grown  timid. 

"Ye  court  people,"  replied  Menes  with  vexation,  "use  two 
measures  frequently.  When  a  Phoenician  brings  a  ruby  or  a 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST  611 

sapphire  ye  do  not  inquire  what  its  use  is;  ye  buy  the  jewel 
and  shut  it  up  in  a  casket.  But  if  a  sage  comes  to  you  with 
an  invention  which  might  change  the  face  of  the  world,  ye  ask 
straightway:  '  What  is  the  use  of  this?'  It  is  clear  that  ye 
are  frightened  lest  the  investigator  might  ask  a  handful  of 
barley  for  a  thing  the  sense  of  which  your  mind  does  not 
fathom." 

44 Art  thou  angry,  father?  Have  I  wished  to  offend  thee?" 
"I  am  not  angry,  but  I  am  pained.  Twenty  years  ago  there 
were  five  men  in  this  temple  working  over  the  discovery  of 
new  secrets.  To-day  I  am  alone.  And,  by  the  gods,  I  am 
unable  to  find  not  merely  a  successor,  but  even  a  man  who  is 
able  to  understand  me." 

"Beyond  doubt  I  would  remain  here  till  death  so  as  to  learn 
thy  god-like  thoughts,"  said  Pentuer.  "But  tell  me,  can  I 
shut  myself  up  to-day  in  a  temple  when  the  fate  of  the  king 
dom  and  the  future  of  the  people  are  wavering  in  the  balance, 
and  when  my  assistance  — 

"May  influence  the  fate  of  the  kingdom  and  of  some  mil 
lions  of  people!  "  interrupted  Menes,  jeeringly.  "O  ye  grown 
up  children  in  the  mitres  and  chains  of  office.  Because  ye  are 
free  to  draw  water  from  the  Nile  it  seems  to  you  that  ye  may 
stop  the  rise  or  the  fall  of  the  river.  Not  otherwise,  surely, 
thinks  the  sheep,  which  following  the  herd  imagines  that  she 
is  directing  it." 

"But  think,  the  young  pharaoh  has  a  heart  full  of  nobleness; 
he  wishes  to  give  the  seventh  day  for  rest,  just  courts,  and 
even  land." 

"All  those  things  are  vanishing,"  said  Menes,  shaking  his 
head.  "The  young  pharaoh  will  grow  old,  while  the  people, 
—  well,  the  people  have  had  the  seventh  day  for  rest  more  than 
one  time,  and  they  have  had  land  —  but  afterward  they  lost 
both!  Ah,  if  that  were  all  that  changed!  ^During  three  ' 
thousand  years  how  many  dynasties  have  passed  over  Egypt, 
and  priests,  how  many  cities  and  temples  have  fallen  into 
ruins;  nay  more!  how  many  new  strata  of  earth  have  overlaid 
the  country.  Everything  has  changed  except  this,  that  two  and 
two  are  four,  that  a  triangle  is  half  a  quadrangle,  that  the  moon 
may  hide  the  sun,  and  boiling  water  hurl  a  stone  through  the  air. 


612  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

"In  this  transitory  world  wisdom  alone  is  enduring  and 
permanent.  And  woe  to  him  who  deserts  the  eternal  for 
things  as  fleeting  as  clouds  are.  His  heart  will  never  know 
peace,  and  his  mind  will  dance  like  a  boat  in  a  whirlwind." 

"The  gods  speak  through  thy  lips,"  replied  Pentuer,  after 
some  thought,  "but  barely  one  man  in  millions  may  serve  them 
directly.  And  well  that  it  is  so,  for  what  would  happen  if 
laborers  gazed  for  whole  nights  at  the  firmament,  if  warriors 
made  reckonings,  and  officials  and  the  pharaoh,  instead  of 
ruling  the  people,  hurled  stones  by  means  of  boiling  water? 
Before  the  moon  could  go  once  round  the  earth  all  would  die 
of  hunger.  No  wheel  or  cattle  would  defend  the  land  from 
barbarians,  or  give  justice  to  those  who  were  injured  by 
wrong- doers. 

"Hence,"  ended  Pentuer,  "though  wisdom  is  like  the  sun, 
blood  and  breath,  we  cannot  all  be  sages." 

To  these  words  Menes  made  no  answer. 

Pentuer  passed  some  days  in  the  temple  of  the  divine  Nut; 
he  admired  at  one  time  the  view  of  the  sandy  ocean,  at  another 
the  fertile  valley  of  the  Nile.  In  company  with  Menes  he 
looked  at  the  stars,  examined  the  wheel  for  raising  water,  and 
walked  at  times  toward  the  pyramids.  He  admired  the  poverty 
and  the  genius  of  his  teacher,  but  said  in  spirit,  — 

"Menes  is  a  god  in  human  form,  surely,  and  hence  he  has 
no  care  for  common  matters.  His  wheel  to  raise  water  will 
not  be  accepted  in  Egypt,  for  first  we  lack  timber,  and  second 
to  move  such  wheels  one  hundred  thousand  oxen  would  be 
needed.  Where  is  there  pasture  for  them  even  in  Upper 
Egypt?" 


CHAPTER   LXI 

WHILE  Pentuer  was  going  around  the  country  and  choos 
ing  out   delegates,  Rameses  XIII.  tarried  in  Thebes, 
arranging  the  marriage  of  his  favorite,  Tutmosis. 

First  of  all,  the  ruler  of  two  worlds,  surrounded  by  a  grand 
retinue,  drove  in  a  golden  chariot  to  the  palace  of  the  most 
worthy  Antefa. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  613 

This  magnate  hurried  forth  to  meet  his  sovereign  before  the 
gate,  and,  taking  the  costly  sandals  from  his  feet  he  knelt  and 
assisted  Rameses  to  alight  from  the  chariot. 

In  return  for  this  homage  the  pharaoh  gave  him  his  hand  to 
kiss,  and  declared  that  thenceforth  Antefa  was  his  friend,  and 
might  enter  even  the  throne  hall  in  sandals. 

When  they  were  in  an  immense  chamber  of  Antefa's  palace 
the  sovereign  said  before  the  whole  retinue,  — 

"I  know,  worthy  Antefa,  that  as  thy  revered  ancestors 
occupy  the  most  beautiful  of  tombs,  thou,  their  descendant, 
art  foremost  among  nomarchs  in  Egypt.  To  thee  it  is  known 
surely  that  in  my  court  and  army,  as  in  my  heart,  the  first 
place  is  held  by  Tutmosis,  chief  of  the  guard,  and  my 
favorite. 

"  According  to  the  opinion  of  sages  the  rich  man  does  ill  who 
does  not  put  his  most  precious  jewel  into  the  most  beautiful 
setting.  And,  since  thy  family  is  most  precious  to  me,  and 
Tutmosis  is  most  dear,  I  have  conceived  the  idea  of  connect 
ing  thee  with  myself,  as  thou  wilt  be,  if  thy  daughter,  the  wise 
and  beautiful  Hebron,  accepts  Tutmosis  as  husband." 

To  this  the  worthy  Antefa  replied,  — • 

"Holiness,  sovereign  of  the  western  world,  and  of  living 
men!  As  Egypt,  and  all  that  is  in  it  belongs  to  thee,  so 
this  house  and  all  its  inhabitants  are  thy  possession.  Since 
it  is  thy  desire  that  my  daughter  should  be  the  wife  of  thy 
favorite,  let  it  be  so." 

Now  the  pharaoh  declared  to  Antefa  that  Tutmosis  had 
twenty  talents  of  yearly  salary,  and  considerable  estates  in 
various  provinces.  Thereupon  the  worthy  Antefa  declared 
that  his  daughter  Hebron  would  have  fifty  talents  a  year,  also 
the  right  to  make  use  of  the  estates  of  her  father  in  those 
provinces  in  which  the  pharaoh's  court  sojourned  for  a  season. 
And  since  he  had  no  son,  his  immense  property,  which  was 
free  of  debt,  would  pass  to  Tutmosis  some  time,  together  with 
the  office  of  nomarch  of  Thebes,  in  so  far  as  that  transfer 
might  coincide  with  the  will  of  the  pharaoh. 

After  concluding  the  conditions  Tutmosis  entered  the  court, 
thanked  Antefa  first  for  giving  his  daughter  to  one  so  un 
worthy,  and  second,  because  he  had  reared  her  so  beautifully. 


614  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

It  was  arranged  then  that  the  ceremony  of  marriage  would 
take  place  in  a  few  days,  since  Tutmosis,  as  leader  of  the 
guard,  had  no  time  for  protracted  preliminaries. 

"I  wish  thee  happiness,  my  son,"  said  Antefa,  smiling, 
"and  also  great  patience,  because  my  beloved  daughter,  now 
twenty  years  old,  is  the  first  exquisite  in  Thebes,  and  has  had 
her  will  always.  By  the  gods,  I  tell  thee  that  my  command 
over  Thebes  always  ends  at  the  gate  of  her  garden.  And  I 
fear  that  thy  military  command  will  go  no  farther." 

Next  the  noble  Antefa  invited  his  guests  to  a  splendid 
banquet,  in  the  course  of  which  the  beautiful  Hebron  showed 
herself  with  a  great  retinue  of  damsels. 

In  the  dining-hall  were  numbers  of  small  tables  for  two  or 
four  persons,  also  a  larger  table,  on  a  loftier  place,  for  the 
pharaoh.  To  show  honor  to  Antefa  and  his  favorite,  Tutmo 
sis,  Rameses  approached  Hebron  and  invited  her  to  his  table. 

The  young  lady  was  really  beautiful,  and  as  it  seemed  had 
experience,  a  thing  not  exceptional  in  Egypt.  Rameses  soon 
noticed  that  the  betrothed  turned  no  attention  whatever  toward 
Tutmosis,  but  to  make  up  for  this  she  turned  eloquent  glances 
toward  him,  the  pharaoh. 

That  also  was  no  wonder  in  Egypt. 

When  the  guests  had  taken  their  places,  when  music  sounded 
and  female  dancers  began  to  bring  fruit  and  wine  to  the  tables, 
Rameses  said  to  Hebron,  — 

"The  longer  I  look  at  thee,  the  more  I  am  astonished. 
Were  some  stranger  to  enter  he  might  consider  thee  a  high 
priestess  or  a  goddess,  but  never  a  woman  at  the  time  of 
happy  betrothal." 

"I  am  happy,"  said  she,  "at  this  moment,  though  not 
because  of  betrothal." 

"How  is  that?"  interrupted  the  pharaoh. 

"Marriage  does  not  entice  me,  and  surely  I  should  rather  be 
the  high  priestess  of  Isis  than  be  married." 

"Then  why  marry?" 

"I  marry  because  it  is  the  absolute  wish  of  my  father  to 
have  an  heir  to  his  glory,  but  mainly  because  it  is  thy  wish, 
my  sovereign." 

"Can  it  be  that  Tutmosis  does  not  please  thee?  " 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  615 

"I  will  not  say  that  he  does  not  please  me.  Tutmosis  is 
fine-looking;  he  is  the  first  exquisite  in  Egypt,  he  plays  well, 
and  takes  prizes  at  games.  His  position,  as  commander  of 
thy  guard,  is  one  of  the  highest.  Still,  were  it  not  for  the 
prayers  of  my  father,  and  thy  command  I  should  not  marry 
Tutmosis.  Even  as  it  is,  I  shall  not  be  his  wife.  My  property 
will  suffice  Tutmosis  and  the  titles  after  my  father;  the  rest  he 
can  find  among  dancing  girls." 

"But  does  he  know  of  his  misfortune?" 

Hebron  smiled. 

"He  knows  this  long  time  that  even  were  I  not  the  daughter 
of  Antefa,  but  of  the  lowest  dissector,  I  would  not  give  myself 
to  a  man  unless  I  loved  him.  I  could  love  only  a  man  who  is 
above  me." 

"Art  thou  speaking  seriously?"  asked  Rameses  in  wonder. 

"I  am  twenty  years  old.  Since  I  was  six  years  of  age 
adorers  have  surrounded  me;  but  I  measured  them  quickly. 
And  to-day  I  would  rather  hear  learned  priests  than  songs  and 
declarations  from  youthful  exquisites." 

"In  that  case  I  ought  not  to  sit  near  thee,  Hebron,  for 
I  am  not  even  an  exquisite,  and  I  have  no  priestly  wisdom 
whatever." 

"Thou  art  something  higher,"  replied  she,  blushing  deeply. 
"Thou  art  a  chief  who  has  won  victory.  Thou  art  as  impetu 
ous  as  a  lion,  as  swift  as  a  vulture.  Millions  fall  on  their 
faces  before  thee,  and  kingdoms  tremble.  Do  I  not  know 
what  fear  is  roused  by  thy  name  in  Tyre  and  Nineveh?  Gods 
might  be  jealous  of  thy  influence." 

Rameses  was  confused. 

"O  Hebron,  Hebron,"  said  he.  "If  thou  knew  what  alarm 
thou  art  sowing  in  my  heart." 

"For  this  very  reason,"  continued  Hebron,  "I  marry  Tut 
mosis.  I  shall  be  nearer  thee,  and  shall  see  thee,  though  for 
a  few  days  only." 

She  rose  and  left  the  hall. 

Antefa  noted  her  action  and  hastened  in  alarm  to  Rameses. 

"O  lord!"  cried  he,  "has  my  daughter  said  anything  im 
proper?  She  is  an  untamable  lioness!  " 

"Be    at   rest,"    said    Rameses.      "Thy   daughter   is   full    of 


616  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

wisdom  and  dignity.  She  went  out  because  she  saw  that  thy 
wine  was  gladdening  the  guests  rather  powerfully." 

Iii  fact  a  great  uproar  had  risen  in  the  hall,  all  the  more 
since  Tutmosis,  abandoning  the  role  of  assistant  host,  had 
become  a  most  animated  talker. 

"I  will  say  to  thee  in  confidence,  holiness,  that  poor  Tut 
mosis  must  guard  himself  greatly  in  presence  of  my  daughter," 
remarked  Antefa. 

That  first  feast  continued  till  morning.  The  pharaoh,  it  is 
true,  departed  immediately,  but  others  remained,  first  in  their 
chairs  and  then  on  the  floor.  Finally  Antefa  had  to  send  them 
home  as  if  they  had  been  lifeless  objects. 

The  marriage  ceremony  took  place  some  days  later. 

To  Autefa's  palace  went  the  high  priests  Herhor  and 
Mefres,  the  nomarchs  of  the  neighboring  provinces,  and  the 
chief  officials  of  Thebes.  Later  appeared  Tutmosis  on  a  two- 
wheeled  chariot,  attended  by  officers  of  the  guard,  and  finally 
his  holiness,  the  pharaoh. 

Rameses  was  attended  by  the  chief  scribe,  the  commander 
of  the  archers,  the  commander  of  the  cavalry,  the  chief  judge, 
the  chief  treasurer,  Sem  the  high  priest,  and  the  adjutant- 
generals. 

When  that  splendid  assembly  was  in  the  hall  of  the  ances 
tors  of  the  most  worthy  Antefa,  Hebron  appeared  in  white 
robes  with  a  numerous  retinue  of  damsels  and  maids  in 
attendance.  Her  father,  after  he  had  burned  incense  before 
Amou  and  the  statue  of  his  own  father,  and  Rameses  XIII., 
who  was  sitting  on  a  raised  platform,  declared  that  he  freed 
his  daughter  Hebron  from  guardianship  and  provided  her 
with  a  dowry.  Then  he  gave  her,  in  a  gold  tube,  a  document 
securing  her  dowry,  and  written  before  the  court  on  papyrus. 

After  a  short  lunch  the  bride  took  her  seat  in  a  costly  litter 
borne  by  eight  officials  of  the  province.  Before  her  went 
music  and  singers;  around  the  litter  were  dignitaries,  and 
behind  them  an  immense  crowd  of  people.  All  this  proces 
sion  moved  toward  the  temple  of  Amon,  through  the  most 
beautiful  streets  of  the  city,  amid  a  throng  of  people  almost 
as  numerous  as  that  which  had  attended  the  funeral  of  the 
pharaoh. 


•JL1 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  617 

At  the  temple  the  people  remained  outside  the  walls  while 
the  bride  and  groorn,  the  pharaoh  and  dignitaries,  entered  the 
hall  of  columns.  There  Hebron  burned  incense  before  the 
veiled  statue  of  Amon,  priestesses  performed  a  sacred  dance, 
and  Tutmosis  read  the  following  act  from  a  papyrus: 

"I,  Tutmosis,  commander  of  the  guard  of  his  holiness 
Rameses  XIII. ,  take  thee,  Hebron,  daughter  of  Antefa  the 
nomarch  of  Thebes,  as  wife.  I  give  thee  now  the  sum  of  ten 
talents  because  thou  hast  consented  to  marry  me.  For  thy 
robes  I  designate  to  thee  three  talents  yearly,  and  for  house 
hold  expenses  one  talent  a  month.  Of  the  children  which  we 
may  have  the  eldest  sou  will  be  heir  to  the  property  which  I 
possess  now  and  which  I  may  acquire  hereafter.  If  I  should 
not  live  with  thee,  but  divorce  myself  and  take  another  wife, 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  pay  thee  forty  talents,  which  sum  I  secure 
with  my  property.  Our  son,  on  receiving  his  estate,  is  to  pay 
thee  fifteen  talents  yearly.  Children  of  another  wife  are  to 
have  no  right  to  the  property  of  our  first-born  son."1 

The  chief  judge  appeared  now  and  read  an  act  in  which  the 
bride  promised  to  give  good  food  and  raiment  to  her  husband, 
to  care  for  his  house,  family,  servants,  slaves,  and  cattle,  and 
to  entrust  to  that  husband  the  management  of  the  property 
which  she  had  received  or  would  receive  from  her  father. 

After  the  acts  were  read  Herhor  gave  Tutmosis  a  goblet 
of  wine.  The  bridegroom  drank  half,  the  bride  moistened  her 
lips  with  it,  and  then  both  burned  incense  before  the  purple 
curtain. 

Leaving  the  temple  of  Amon  the  young  couple  and  their 
splendid  retinue  passed  through  the  avenue  of  sphinxes  to  the 
pharaoh' s  palace.  Crowds  of  people  and  warriors  greeted 
them  with  shouts,  scattering  flowers  on  their  pathway. 

Tutmosis  had  dwelt  up  to  that  time  in  the  chambers  of  the 
pharaoh,  but  on  the  day  of  his  marriage  Rameses  presented 
him  with  a  beautiful  little  villa  in  the  depth  of  the  gardens, 
surrounded  by  a  forest  of  fig  trees,  myrtles  and  baobabs, 
where  the  bridegroom  and  bride  might  pass  days  of  happiness 
hidden  from  human  eye,  and  cut  off,  as  it  were,  from  the 
world  about  them. 

1  Authentic. 


618  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

In  that  quiet  corner  people  showed  themselves  so  rarely  that 
even  birds  did  not  flee  before  them.  When  the  young  couple 
and  the  guests  found  themselves  in  this  new  dwelling  the  final 
ceremony  of  marriage  followed : 

Tutmosis  took  Hebron  by  the  hand  and  led  her  to  a  fire 
burning  before  a  statue  of  Isis;  then  Mefres  poured  a  spoon 
ful  of  holy  water  on  the  lady's  head;  Hebron  touched  the  fire 
with  her  hand,  while  Tutmosis  divided  a  morsel  of  bread  with 
her  and  placed  his  own  ring  on  her  finger  in  sign  that  from 
that  time  forth  she  was  mistress  of  his  laud,  his  servants,  his 
slaves  and  cattle. 

Meanwhile  the  priests  sang  wedding  hymns  and  bore  the 
statue  of  the  divine  Isis  through  the  whole  house ;  and  priest 
esses  performed  sacred  dances. 

The  day  ended  with  spectacles  and  a  great  feast,  during 
which  all  noticed  that  Hebron  accompanied  the  pharaoh  con 
tinually,  and  that  Tutmosis  kept  at  a  distance  from  her,  and 
simply  entertained  guests  at  the  wedding. 

When  the  stars  had  risen  the  holy  Herhor  left  the  feast,  and 
soon  after  some  of  the  highest  dignitaries  slipped  out  also. 
About  midnight  the  following  worthy  persons  met  in  a 
subterranean  chamber  of  the  temple  of  Amon:  the  high 
priests  Herhor,  Mefres,  and  Mentezufis,  the  chief  judge 
of  Thebes,  also  the  chiefs  of  the  provinces  of  Abs,  Horti, 
and  Emsuchs. 

Mentezufis  looked  around  among  the  great  columns,  closed 
the  door,  quenched  the  torches,  and  in  that  lower  chamber 
there  remained  only  one  light,  that  which  burned  before  a 
statue  of  Horus.  The  dignitaries  sat  down  on  three  stone 
benches. 

"If  I  were  commanded  to  describe  the  character  of  Rameses 
XIII.,"  said  the  nomarch  of  Abs,  "I  should  be  unable  to 
do  so." 

"He  is  a  maniac!  "  said  Mefres. 

UI  do  not  know  that  he  is  a  maniac,"  answered  Herhor, 
"but  he  is  very  dangerous  in  every  case.  Already  Assyria 
has  reminded  us  twice  of  the  last  treaty,  and  is  beginning,  I 
hear,  to  be  alarmed  at  the  arming  of  Egypt." 

"That  is  of  less  importance,"  said  Mefres;  "there  is  some- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  619 

thing  worse,  for  this  godless  man  is  thinking  to  violate  the 
treasure  of  the  labyrinth." 

"But  I  should  consider,"  said  the  nomarch  of  Emsuch, 
"that  his  promises  to  the  people  are  the  worst.  Our  income 
and  that  of  the  state  will  be  shattered  if  the  common  people 
are  idle  one  day  in  seven.  But  if  the  pharaoh  gives  them 
land  in  addition?  " 

"He  is  ready  to  do  that,"  said  the  chief  judge  in  a  whisper. 

"Is  he  ready?  "  asked  the  nomarch  of  Horti.  "It  seems  to 
me  that  he  merely  wants  money.  If  we  should  give  him  some 
thing  from  the  labyrinth —  " 

"Impossible,"  interrupted  Herhor.  "The  state  is  not 
threatened  by  danger,  but  the  pharaoh  is,  and  that  is  not  the 
same  question.  I  repeat  that  as  a  dam  is  strong  only  while  it 
is  not  penetrated  by  the  tiniest  stream  of  water,  so  the  laby 
rinth  is  full  till  we  touch  the  first  block  of  gold  in  it.  After 
that,  all  will  go.  Finally,  whom  do  we  strengthen  by  the 
treasures  of  the  gods  and  of  Egypt?  This  young  man  who 
despises  religion,  belittles  priests,  and  disturbs  the  people. 
Is  he  not  worse  than  Assar?  Assar  is  a  barbarian,  but  he 
does  not  harm  us." 

"It  is  improper  for  the  pharaoh  to  pay  court  to  his  favor 
ite's  wife  so  openly  on  the  very  day  of  the  marriage,"  said 
the  judge,  thoughtfully. 

"Hebron  herself  entices  him,"  said  the  nomarch  of  Horti. 

"All  women  entice  men,"  answered  the  nomarch  of  Emsuch. 
"Sense,  however,  is  given  a  man  to  avoid  sin." 

"But  is  not  the  pharaoh  husband  to  all  the  women  of 
Egypt?"  whispered  the  nomarch  of  Abs.  "Moreover,  sin  is 
under  the  judgment  of  the  gods,  while  we  are  occupied  only 
with  Egypt." 

"He  is  dangerous!  he  is  dangerous!"  said  the  nomarch  of 
Emsuch,  while  his  hands  and  head  trembled.  "There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  common  people  have  become  insolent  and  may 
rise  any  moment.  In  that  case  no  high  priest  or  nomarch 
would  be  sure  of  his  life,  not  to  mention  his  office  and 
property. " 

"Against  an  uprising  we  have  means,"  replied  Herhor. 

"What  means?" 


620  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"First  of  all,"  answered  Mefres,  "we  can  avoid  an  uprising 
if  we  explain  to  the  wisest  among  common  people  that  he  who 
makes  them  promises  is  a  maniac." 

"He  is  one  of  the  soundest  men  under  the  sun,"  whispered 
the  nomarch  of  Horti.  "All  that  we  need  is  to  learn  what  he 
wishes." 

"He  is  a  maniac!  a  maniac!  "  repeated  Mefres.  "His  own 
brother  imagines  himself  a  monkey,  and  drinks  with  dissectors. 
Rameses  may  act  in  the  same  fashion  any  day." 

"It  is  awkward  and  evil  to  declare  a  man  of  sound  mind  a 
maniac,"  said  the  nomarch  of  Horti.  "For  if  people  see  the 
falsehood  they  will  cease  to  believe  in  us,  and  nothing  will 
restrain  an  uprising." 

"If  I  say  that  Rameses  is  a  maniac  it  must  be  that  I  have 
proof,"  replied  Mefres.  "And  now  listen." 

The  dignitaries  moved  on  their  benches. 

"Tell  me,"  continued  Mefres,  "would  a  man  of  sound 
mind,  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt,  dare  to  fight  in  public 
against  a  bull  in  presence  of  so  many  thousands  of  Asiatics? 
Would  a  prince  of  sound  judgment,  an  Egyptian,  wander  into 
a  Phoenician  temple  during  night  hours?  Would  he,  without 
cause,  reduce  to  the  rank  of  slaves  his  first  woman,  an  act 
which  caused  her  death  and  the  death  of  her  infant?" 

Those  present  murmured  in  fear. 

"All  this  we  have  seen  in  Pi-Bast.  Mentezufis  and  I  were 
witnesses  of  drinking  feasts,  at  which  the  half-demented  heir 
blasphemed  against  the  gods  and  insulted  the  priesthood." 

"That  is  true,"  said  Mentezufis. 

"And  what  do  ye  think,"  continued  Mefres,  with  greater 
heat,  "would  a  man  of  sound  mind,  the  leader  of  an  army, 
leave  his  troops  to  chase  after  a  few  Libyan  bandits?  I  pass 
over  a  number  of  smaller  things,  even  the  idea  of  giving  the 
people  land  and  a  holiday;  could  I  say  that  a  man  was  of 
sound  mind  who  committed  so  many  criminal  absurdities 
without  cause,  just  at  random?" 

Those  present  were  silent;  the  nomarch  of  Horti  was 
troubled. 

"It  is  necessary  to  think  over  this,"  added  the  chief  judge, 
"lest  injustice  be  done  him." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  621 

Here  Herhor  spoke. 

"Holy  Mefres  has  done  him  a  kindness,"  said  he,  in  low 
decisive  tones,  "by  considering  him  a  maniac.  Unless  he  is 
a  maniac  we  must  call  him  a  traitor." 

Those  present  moved  with  fear. 

"Yes,  the  man  called  Rameses  XIII.  is  a  traitor,  for  not 
only  does  he  select  spies  and  robbers  to  discover  the  way  to 
the  treasures  of  the  labyrinth,  not  only  does  he  reject  the  treaty 
with  Assyria,  which  Egypt  needs  absolutely  — " 

"  Grievous  accusations,"  said  the  judge. 

u  But  listen  to  me  further:  he  is  negotiating  with  villainous 
Phoenicians  to  cut  a  canal  between  the  Red  Sea  and  the 
Mediterranean.  This  canal  is  the  greatest  danger  for  Egypt, 
since  our  country  might  be  inundated  by  water  in  one  moment. 
It  is  not  a  question  here  of  the  treasures  of  the  labyrinth,  but 
of  our  temples,  houses,  fields,  six  millions  of  people,  foolish, 
it  is  true,  but  innocent,  and  finally  of  our  own  lives  and  the 
lives  of  our  children." 

44  If  that  is  the  case — "  sighed  the  nomarch  of  Horti. 

"  I  and  the  worthy  Mefres  pledge  ourselves  that  it  is  the 
case,  and  that  this  one  man  has  gathered  into  his  hands  more 
dangers  than  have  ever  yet  threatened  Egypt.  Hence  we  have 
brought  you  here  to  provide  means  of  rescue.  But  we  must 
act  quickly,  for  the  plans  of  this  man  advance  like  a  storm  in 
a  desert  and  may  overwhelm  every  one  of  us." 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence  in  the  dark  chamber. 

"What  is  to  be  done  at  present?"  asked  the  nomarch  of 
Emsuch.  "  We  live  in  our  provinces  far  from  the  court,  and 
not  only  do  we  not  know  the  plans  of  this  madman,  but  we 
cannot  even  divine  them,  we  can  hardly  believe  that  they  exist. 
I  think  it  is  best  therefore  to  leave  this  affair  with  thee,  worthy 
Herhor,  and  with  Mefres.  Ye  have  discovered  the  disease, 
provide  the  remedy  and  act.  But  if  the  greatness  of  respon 
sibility  alarms  you,  associate  with  yourselves  the  supreme 
judge  as  assistant." 

"Yes!  yes!  he  speaks  truth,"  confirmed  the  indignant 
officials. 

Mentezufis  lighted  a  torch  and  placed  on  a  table  before  the 
statue  of  the  god  a  papyrus  on  which  was  written  an  act  of 


622  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

the  following  contents :  In  view  of  dangers  threatening  the 
state,  the  power  of  the  secret  council  passes  into  the  hands  of 
Herhor  with  whom  are  associated  as  assistants  the  supreme 
judge  and  Mefres. 

This  act,  confirmed  by  the  signatures  of  the  dignitaries 
present,  was  enclosed  in  a  tube  and  concealed  in  a  secret  place 
beneath  the  altar. 

In  addition,  each  one  of  the  seven  associates  bound  himself 
under  oath  to  attract  to  the  conspiracy  ten  dignitaries.  Herhor 
promised  to  bring  proof  that  Assyria  was  insisting  on  the 
treaty,  and  that  the  pharaoh  did  not  wish  to  sign  it,  that  he 
was  negotiating  with  Phoenicians  to  dig  the  canal,  and  that  he 
intended  to  enter  the  labyrinth  treacherously. 

"My  life  and  honor  are  in  your  hands,"  concluded  Herhor. 
"  If  what  I  have  said  is  untrue  condemn  me  to  death,  and  have 
my  body  burned  afterward." 

No  one  doubted  now  that  the  high  priest  spoke  the  pure 
truth ;  for  no  Egyptian  would  expose  his  body  to  burning  and 
his  soul  to  destruction. 

Tutmosis  spent  a  few  days  after  the  wedding  in  company 
with  Hebron,  in  the  palace  given  him  by  his  holiness.  But 
every  evening  he  went  to  the  barracks  of  the  guard,  where  with 
officers  and  dancers  he  passed  the  nights  very  pleasantly. 

From  this  conduct  his  comrades  divined  that  he  had  married 
Hebron  only  for  her  dowry;  this,  however,  did  not  astonish 
any  one. 

After  five  days  Tutmosis  announced  to  the  pharaoh  that  he 
was  ready  to  resume  his  duties.  Thenceforth  he  visited  his 
wife  only  in  the  daytime,  the  nights  he  passed  near  his  lord's 
chamber. 

One  evening  the  pharaoh  said  to  him,  — 

"This  palace  has  so  many  corners  for  watching  and  listen 
ing  that  every  act  of  mine  is  noted.  My  revered  mother  is 
addressed  again  by  those  mysterious  voices  which  ceased  in 
Memphis  after  I  dismissed  the  priesthood.  I  cannot  receive 
therefore  any  one  in  my  own  chamber,  but  must  leave  the 
palace  and  take  counsel  with  my  servants  in  a  safe  place." 

"Am  I  to  follow  thee,  holiness?"  inquired  Tutmosis.,  seeing 
that  the  pharaoh  was  looking  around  for  his  mantle. 


THE   PHARAOH  AND   THE  PRIEST  628 

"  No ;  thou  must  stay  here  and  see  that  no  one  enters  my 
chamber.  Admit  no  person,  not  even  my  mother,  not  even 
the  shade  of  my  ever-living  father.  Thou  wilt  say  that  I  am 
asleep  and  will  see  no  one." 

"It  will  be  as  thou  hast  said,"  replied  Tutmosis,  putting  on 
his  lord  a  hooded  mantle.  Then  he  quenched  the  light  m  the 
bed-chamber  and  Rameses  went  out  through  side  passages. 

When  he  was  in  the  garden  Rameses  stopped  and  looked  on 
all  sides  with  attention.  Then,  taking  bearings,  he  started 
quickly  toward  the  villa  which  he  had  given  Tutmosis.  After 
he  had  walked  some  minutes  in  a  shady  alley  a  man  stood 
before  him  and  inquired,  — 

"Who  goes?" 

"  Nubia,"  answered  the  pharaoh. 

"Libya,"  said  the  inquirer,  and  pushed  back  suddenly,  as 
if  frightened. 

The  man  was  an  officer  of  the  guard.  The  pharaoh  looked 
at  him,  and  said,  — 

"Ah,  this  is  Eunana!  What  art  thou  doing  in  this 
place?" 

"  I  am  going  around  the  gardens  ;  I  do  so  a  couple  of  times 
nightly,  for  thieves  steal  in  sometimes." 

"  Thou  dost  wisely.  But  remember  the  first  duty  of  an 
officer  of  the  guard  is  silence.  Drive  the  thief  out,  but  if  thou 
meet  a  man  in  office  seize  him  not,  be  silent,  be  silent  always. 
Even  if  the  high  priest  Herhor  were  in  question." 

"Oh  lord!"  exclaimed  Eunana,  "but  command  me  not  to 
do  homage  in  the  night  to  Herhor,  or  to  Mefres.  I  am  not 
sure  that  my  sword  at  sight  of  them  would  not  spring  of  itself 
from  the  scabbard." 

Rameses  smiled. 

"Thy  sword  is  mine,"  replied  he,  "and  it  may  leave  the 
scabbard  only  when  I  give  the  order."  He  nodded  to  Eunana 
and  passed  on. 

After  wandering  a  quarter  of  an  hour  by  paths  intended  to 
mislead,  the  pharaoh  found  himself  near  a  secret  gate  in  a 
thicket.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  heard  a  rustle,  and  he  said 
in  a  low  voice,  — 

"Hebron!" 


624  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

A  figure,  also  in  a  dark  mantle,  ran  out,  rushed  at  Rameses 
and  clung  to  his  neck,  whispering,  — 

"Is  it  thou ?  is  it  thou ?     Oh,  how  long  I  have  waited  !  " 

The  pharaoh  felt  that  she  was  slipping  from  his  embrace,  so 
he  took  her  in  his  arms  and  carried  her  to  an  arbor.  At  that 
moment  the  mantle  fell  from  his  shoulders ;  he  dragged  it  for 
a  while,  but  at  last  dropped  it. 

Next  day  the  revered  lady  Nikotris  summoned  Tutmosis. 
The  favorite  of  the  pharaoh  was  frightened  when  he  looked  at 
her.  The  queen  was  terribly  pale,  her  eyes  were  sunken  and 
she  was  almost  demented. 

"Sit  .down!"  said  she,  indicating  a  stool  near  her  arm 
chair. 

Tutmosis  hesitated. 

"  Sit  down!  And  —  and  swear  that  thou  wilt  repeat  to  no 
one  what  I  tell  thee." 

"By  the  shade  of  my  father,  I  will  not." 

"Hear  me,"  said  the  queen  in  a  low  voice;  "I  have  been 
almost  a  mother  to  thee.  Wert  thou  to  betray  this  secret 
the  gods  would  punish  thee.  No — they  would  only  cast 
on  thy  head  a  part  of  those  misfortunes  which  are  hanging 
over  my  family." 

Tutmosis  listened  with  astonishment. 

"  Is  she  mad?"  thought  he  with  fear. 

"Look  at  that  window,"  continued  the  queen;  "look  at 
that  tree.  Dost  thou  know  whom  I  saw  last  night  on  that 
tree  outside  the  window?" 

"  Could  the  brother  of  his  holiness  have  come  to  Thebes?  " 

"It  was  not  he,"  whispered  she,  sobbing.  "It  was  my 
Rameses  himself." 

"  On  the  tree ?     Last  night?  " 

"Yes.  The  light  of  the  lamp  fell  on  his  face  and  figure 
perfectly.  He  had  a  coat  in  white  and  blue  stripes,  his  eyes 
were  wandering  —  he  laughed  wildly,  like  his  unfortunate 
brother,  and  said,  '  Look  at  me,  mother,  I  am  able  to  fly  now, 
a  thing  that  neither  Seti,  nor  Rameses  the  Great,  nor  Cheops 
could  do.  See  what  wings  are  growing  out  on  me ! '  He 
stretched  his  hands  toward  me,  and  I,  unconscious  from  sorrow, 
touched  his  hands  through  the  window  and  his  face,  covered 


THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE    PRIEST  625 

with  cold  perspiration.  At  last  he  slipped  down  the  tree  and 
vanished." 

Tutmosis  listened  in  terror.  All  at  once  he  struck  his 
forehead. 

"That  was  not  Rameses,"  said  he  with  decision.  "That 
was  a  man  very  like  him,  that  villain,  the  Greek  Lykon,  who 
killed  Sarah's  son,  and  who  is  now  under  control  of  the  high 
priests.  That  was  not  Rameses.  This  is  a  crime  of  Herhor 
and  Mefres,  those  wretches." 

Hope  gleamed  on  the  queen's  face,  but  only  for  a  moment. 

"  How  could  I  fail  to  recognize  my  son  ?  " 

u  Lykon  is  very  like  him,"  answered  Tutmosis.  "  This  is  a 
trick  of  the  priests.  They  are  infamous !  For  them  death  is 
too  slight  a  punishment." 

"Did  the  pharaoh  sleep  at  home  last  night  ?"  inquired  the 
lady. 

Tutmosis  was  confused  and  dropped  his  eyes. 

"  So  he  did  not  sleep  at  home?  " 

"  He  did,"  answered  the  favorite  with  an  uncertain  voice. 

"  That  is  not  true.  But  tell  me,  at  least,  did  he  not  wear  a 
coat  with  white  and  blue  stripes  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  remember,"  whispered  Tutmosis. 

"Thou  art  telling  untruth  again.  And  this  mantle,  tell  me 
if  this  is  not  my  son's  mantle?  My  slave  found  it  on  that  same 
tree,  in  the  branches." 

The  queen  sprang  up  and  brought  from  a  case  a  brown, 
hooded  mantle.  Tutmosis  remembered  that  the  pharaoh  had 
returned  after  midnight  without  his  mantle  and  even  explained 
to  him  that  he  had  lost  it  somewhere  in  the  garden.  He  hesi 
tated,  meditated,  but  at  last  answered  with  decision,  — 

"No,  queen,  that  was  not  the  pharaoh.  That  was  Lykon, 
and  this  is  a  crime  of  the  priests  which  I  must  report  to  his 
holiness  straightway." 

"  But  if  that  were  Rameses?  "  inquired  the  lady  again,  though 
in  her  eyes  a  spark  of  hope  was  now  evident. 

Tutmosis  was  troubled.  His  conclusion  that  it  was  Lykon 
was  wise  and  might  be  true,  but  indications  were  not  lacking 
that  the  queen  had  seen  Rameses.  It  was  certain  that  he  had 
returned  to  his  chamber  after  midnight ;  he  wore  a  tunic  with 

40 


626  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

white  and  blue  stripes,  he  had  lost  his  mantle.  It  was  true  that 
his  brother  was  demented,  and,  moreover,  could  a  mother's 
heart  deceive  her? 

And  doubts  rose  in  the  soul  of  Tutmosis,  intricate  and 
involved  as  a  nest  of  poisonous  reptiles.  Luckily  in  propor 
tion  as  his  doubts  increased  hope  entered  the  heart  of  Nikotris. 

"  It  is  well  that  thou  hast  reminded  me  of  that  Lykon,"  said 
she.  "I  remember.  Through  him  Mefres  accused  Rameses  of 
child  murder,  and  to-day  he  may  use  the  wretch  to  defame  his 
sovereign.  In  this  case  not  a  word  to  any  one  of  what  I  have 
told  thee.  If  Rameses  —  if  in  truth  he  is  subject  to  such  a  mis 
fortune,  it  may  be  temporary.  We  must  not  humiliate  him  by 
mentioning  such  reports,  we  must  not  inform  him.  If  this  is  a 
plot  of  the  priests  we  must  also  be  cautious.  Though  people 
who  use  such  deceit  cannot  be  powerful." 

"  I  will  investigate  this,"  interrupted  Tutmosis,  "  but  if  I 
convince  myself  —  " 

"  Do  not  inform  Rameses  —  I  implore  thee  by  the  shade  of 
thy  father!  "  exclaimed  the  queen,  clasping  her  hands.  "  The 
pharaoh  would  not  forgive  them,  he  would  deliver  them  to 
judgment,  and  then  one  of  two  misfortunes  would  happen. 
Either  the  supreme  priests  of  the  state  would  be  condemned  to 
death,  or  the  court  would  free  them.  And  then  what?  But 
pursue  Lykon  and  slay  him  without  mercy,  like  a  wild  beast  — 
like  a  reptile." 

Tutmosis  took  farewell  of  the  queen.  She  was  pacified, 
though  his  fears  had  grown  greater. 

"If  that  villainous  Greek,  Lykon,  is  living  yet,  despite  im 
prisonment  by  the  priests,"  thought  he,  "  he  would  prefer  flight 
to  climbing  trees  and  showing  himself  to  the  queen.  I  myself 
would  facilitate  his  escape,  and  cover  him  with  wealth  if  he 
would  tell  the  truth  and  seek  protection  against  those  wretches. 
But  whence  came  the  mantle?  How  deceive  the  mother?" 

From  that  time  Tutmosis  avoided  the  pharaoh,  and  dared 
not  look  him  in  the  eyes,  while  Rameses  himself  acted  strangely, 
so  their  heartfelt  relations  seemed  to  grow  cold  somewhat. 

But  one  evening  the  pharaoh  summoned  his  favorite  a  second 
time. 

"  I  must  speak  with  Hiram/'  said  he,  u  on  questions  of  im- 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  627 

portance.  I  am  going  out.  Watch  here  at  my  chamber,  and  if 
any  man  wishes  to  see  me  do  not  admit  him." 

When  the  pharaoh  vanished  in  the  secret  corridors  Tutmosis 
was  seized  by  alarm. 

"  Maybe,"  thought  he,  "  the  priests  have  poisoned  him  to 
produce  insanity;  and  he,  feeling  that  an  attack  is  coming, 
flees  from  his  own  palace  ?  Ha !  we  shall  see ! " 

In  fact  he  did  see.  The  pharaoh  returned  well  after  mid 
night  to  his  chambers,  and  had  a  mantle ;  it  was  not  his  own, 
however,  but  a  soldier's. 

Tutmosis  was  alarmed  and  did  not  sleep  till  morning,  think 
ing  that  the  queen  would  summon  him  again  on  a  sudden.  The 
queen  did  not  summon  him,  however.  But  during  the  morning 
review  of  the  guard,  the  officer  Euuana  begged  to  speak  with 
his  chief  for  a  moment. 

When  they  were  alone  in  a  chamber  Eunaua  fell  at  the  feet 
of  Tutmosis  and  implored  the  chief  not  to  repeat  what  he  was 
going  to  tell  him. 

"What  has  happened?"  inquired  the  adjutant,  feeling  cold 
in  his  heart. 

"Chief,"  said  Eunana,  "yesterday  I  saw  a  man  running  in 
the  garden  naked,  and  crying  in  an  unearthly  voice.  He  was 
brought  in  to  me,  and,  chief  —  slay  me!  " 

Eunana  fell  again  at  the  feet  of  Tutmosis. 

"That  naked  man  — that—     I  cannot  tell." 

"Who  was  he?"  inquired  the  terrified  Tutmosis. 

"I  will  not  tell!  "  groaned  Eunana.  "I  took  off  my  mantle 
and  covered  sacred  nakedness.  I  wanted  to  take  him  to  the 
palace  —  but  —  I  —  the  lord  commanded  me  to  stay  where  I 
was,  and  be  silent — be  silent!  " 

"Whither  did  he  go?" 

"I  know  not.  I  did  not  look,  and  I  did  not  let  the  warriors 
look.  He  vanished  somewhere  among  the  bushes  of  the 
garden.  I  told  my  men  not  to  see  anything,  not  to  hear  any 
thing;  that  if  any  man  saw  or  heard  anything  he  would  be 
strangled  that  instant." 

Tutmosis  had  succeeded  in  mastering  himself. 

"I  know  nothing,"  said  he,  coldly,  "and  understand  noth 
ing  of  what  thou  hast  said  to  me.  But  remember  one  thing: 


628         THE:  PHARAOH  AND  THE  PRIEST 

I  myself  ran  naked  once  when  I  had  drunk  too  much  wine, 
and  I  gave  a  good  reward  to  those  who  failed  to  see  me. 
Common  people,  Eunana,  and  laborers  always  go  naked;  great 
persons  only  when  it  may  please  them.  And  if  the  wish 
should  come  to  me  or  any  of  the  officials  to  stand  head  down 
ward,  a  wise  and  pious  officer  should  not  wonder  at  my 
action." 

"I  understand,"  replied  Eunana,  looking  into  the  eyes  of 
his  chief  quickly.  "And  not  only  will  I  repeat  that  to  my 
warriors,  but  I  will  even  go  naked  this  night  through  the 
garden  to  let  them  know  that  superiors  have  the  right  to  do 
whatever  pleases  them." 

Still,  notwithstanding  the  small  number  of  men  who  had 
seen  the  pharaoh  or  his  counterfeit  in  a  state  of  insanity,  the 
reports  of  these  strange  happenings  circulated  everywhere  very 
quickly.  In  a  few  days  all  the  inhabitants  of  Thebes,  from 
dissectors  and  water-carriers  to  scribes  and  merchants,  whis 
pered  that  Rameses  XIII.  was  affected  with  the  disease  which 
had  deprived  his  older  brothers  of  succession. 

Dread  of  the  pharaoh  and  honor  for  him  were  so  great  that 
people  feared  to  speak  openly,  especially  before  strangers. 
Still,  all  heard  of  it  —  all  save  Rameses. 

But  most  peculiar  was  this,  that  the  report  went  around  the 
whole  kingdom  very  speedily;  a  proof  that  it  circulated  by 
means  of  the  temples.  For  priests  alone  possessed  the  power 
of  communicating  in  a  few  hours  from  one  end  of  Egypt  to 
the  other. 

No  one  mentioned  these  disagreeable  tidings  to  Tutmosis 
directly,  but  the  chief  of  the  pharaoh's  guard  felt  their  exist 
ence  everywhere.  From  the  bearing  of  people  with  whom 
circumstances  brought  him  in  contact  he  divined  that  the  ser 
vants,  the  slaves,  the  warriors,  the  purveyors  of  the  court  were 
discussing  the  insanity  of  the  pharaoh,  and  were  silent  only 
when  some  superior  might  overhear  them. 

At  last  Tutmosis,  impatient  and  alarmed,  decided  on  a  con 
versation  with  the  Theban  nomarch. 

On  arriving  at  the  palace  of  his  father-in-law  he  found 
Antefa  lying  on  a  sofa  in  a  room,  one  half  of  which  was  filled 
with  rare  plants  like  a  garden.  In  the  centre  played  a  foun- 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  629 

tain  of  water  perfumed  with  roses;  in  the  corners  of  the  room 
were  statues  of  gods;  on  the  walls  were  depicted  the  deeds  of 
the  renowned  nomarch.  Standing  near  his  head  was  a  black 
slave  who  cooled  his  master  with  an  ostrich  feather  fan;  on 
the  pavement  sat  the  scribe  of  the  province  reading  a  report 
to  him. 

Tutmosis  had  such  an  anxious  face  that  the  nomarch  dis 
missed  the  scribe  and  the  slave  straightway;  then  rising  from 
the  couch  he  looked  toward  every  corner  of  the  chamber  to  be 
sure  that  no  one  overheard  them. 

" Worthy  father  of  Lady  Hebron,  my  revered  wife,"  said 
Tutmosis,  "from  thy  bearing  I  see  that  thou  divinest  the  sub 
ject  of  which  I  wish  to  speak." 

4 'The  nomarch  of  Thebes  must  always  look  ahead,"  replied 
Antefa.  "I  divine  also  that  the  commander  of  the  guard  of 
his  holiness  would  not  honor  me  by  a  visit  for  a  frivolous 
reason." 

For  a  moment  they  looked  each  other  in  the  eyes.  Then 
Tutmosis  took  a  seat  at  the  side  of  his  father-in-law,  and 
whispered,  — 

"Hast  thou  heard  vile  reports  about  our  sovereign,  which 
the  enemies  of  the  state  are  spreading?" 

"If  it  be  a  question  of  my  daughter  Hebron,"  replied  the 
nomarch  quickly,  "  I  declare  that  thou  art  her  lord  to-day,  and 
canst  have  no  question  with  me." 

Tutmosis  waved  his  hand  with  indifference. 

"Some  vile  persons  are  reporting  that  the  pharaoh  is  insane. 
Hast  heard  of  this,  my  father?" 

Antefa  nodded  and  turned  his  head  —  motions  which  meant 
equally  that  he  had,  or  that  he  had  not.  At  last  he  said,  — 

"Stupidity  is  as  great  as  the  ocean;  everything  finds  a  place 
in  it." 

"This  is  not  stupidity,"  replied  Tutmosis,  "but  a  crime  of 
the  priests,  who  have  in  their  possession  a  man  who  resembles 
his  holiness,  and  they  make  use  of  him  for  evil  purposes." 
And  he  told  the  nomarch  the  story  of  the  Greek  Lykon,  and 
his  crime  in  Pi-Bast. 

"I  have  heard  of  this  Lykon  who  killed  the  son  of  the  heir," 
said  Antefa.  "But  hast  thou  proof  that  Mefres  imprisoned 


r 


630  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Lykon  in  Pi-Bast,  that  he  brought  him  to  Thebes,  and  that  he 
lets  him  enter  the  gardens  of  the  pharaoh  to  counterfeit  the 
sovereign  as  insane?" 

"Just  because  I  have  not  proof  of  this  do  I  ask  thee, 
worthiness,  what  to  do.  I  am  the  commander  of  the  guard 
and  I  must  watch  over  the  honor  and  safety  of  our  sovereign." 

"'What  thou  must  do?'"  repeated  Antefa.  "Well,  first 
of  all  take  care  that  these  vile  reports  do  not  reach  the  ears  of 
the  pharaoh." 

"Why?" 

"Because  a  great  misfortune  would  happen.  If  our  lord 
hears  that  Lykon  feigns  insanity  and  pretends  to  be  the 
pharaoh,  he  will  fall  into  terrible  anger.  Naturally  he  will 
direct  that  anger  against  Herhor  and  Mefres.  Maybe  he  will 
only  abuse  them  in  words,  maybe  he  will  imprison  them, 
maybe  he  will  kill  them.  Whatever  he  does,  he  will  do  it 
without  proof,  and  what  then?  Egypt  at  present  does  not 
care  to  give  offerings  to  the  gods,  but  it  will  take  the  part  of 
priests  injured  without  reason.  And  what  then?  Well," 
added  he,  approaching  his  lips  to  Tutmosis'  ear,  "I  think  it 
would  be  the  end  of  the  dynasty." 

"What  am  I  to  do?" 

"One  thing!  "  exclaimed  Antefa.  "Find  Lykon,  prove  that 
Mefres  and  Herhor  secreted  him,  and  ordered  him  to  counter 
feit  the  pharaoh  as  insane.  Thou  must  do  this,  if  thou  wish 
to  keep  the  favor  of  thy  sovereign.  Proofs  —  as  many  proofs 
as  possible!  Egypt  is  not  Assyria;  thou  canst  not  act  against 
high  priests  without  the  court,  and  no  court  will  condemn  them 
without  tangible  evidence.  Where  hast  thou  the  certainty 
that  some  one  did  not  give  the  pharaoh  an  intoxicating  potion? 
That  would  be  simpler  than  to  send  out  a  man  at  night  who 
knows  neither  the  wratchword,  nor  the  palace,  nor  the  garden. 
I  have  heard  of  Lykon  from  an  authentic  source,  for  I  heard 
from  Hiram.  Still,  I  do  not  understand  how  Lykon  could 
perform  such  miracles  in  Thebes." 

"But  —  but—  "  interrupted  Tutmosis,  "where  is  Hiram?" 

"Immediately  after  the  wedding  he  went  to  Memphis,  and 
in  these  last  days  he  was  in  Hiten." 

Tutmosis  again  was  in  trouble:  "That  night/'  thought  he, 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  631 

"when  they  took  a  naked  man  to  Eunana,  the  pharaoh  said 
that  he  was  going  to  see  Hiram.  But  as.  Hiram  was  not  in 
Thebes,  then  what?  Well,  his  holiness  knew  not  at  the  mo 
ment  that  of  which  he  himself  was  talking." 

Tutmosis  returned  home  dazed.  Not  only  did  he  fail  to 
understand  what  he  was  to  do  in  that  unheard-of  position,  but 
even  he  knew  not  what  to  think  of  the  position  itself.  His 
conviction  while  conversing  with  Nikotris,  that  Lykon,  the 
emissary  of  high  priests,  had  appeared  in  the  garden,  wras 
equalled  now  by  his  doubts  as  to  whether  the  Greek  had  been 
there  at  all. 

And  if  this  was  the  case  with  Tutmosis  the  favorite,  who 
saw  Rarneses  at  all  times,  what  must  it  be  in  the  hearts  of 
strangers.  The  most  devoted  adherents  of  the  pharaoh  and 
his  measures  might  hesitate  on  hearing  from  all  sides  that 
their  sovereign  was  demented. 

This  was  the  first  blow  which  the  priests  gave  Rameses  XIII. 
Slight  in  itself,  it  involved  results  which  were  beyond  reckoning. 

Not  only  did  Tutmosis  hesitate,  he  suffered.  Under  a 
frivolous  exterior  he  had  a  character  at  once  energetic  and 
noble.  So  that  day,  when  men  struck  at  the  honor  and  power 
of  his  sovereign,  inactivity  was  devouring  Tutmosis.  He 
seemed  to  himself  the  commander  of  a  fortress  which  the 
enemy  was  undermining,  while  he  himself  was  looking  on  in 
helplessness.  This  thought  so  tortured  him  that  under  its 
influence  he  fell  upon  a  daring  plan.  Meeting  the  high  priest 
Sem,  he  said  to  him,  — 

"Worthiness,  hast  thou  heard  the  reports  about  our 
sovereign?  " 

"The  pharaoh  is  young,  hence  various  scandals  may  cir 
culate  concerning  him,"  replied  Sem,  looking  strangely  at 
Tutmosis.  "But  such  affairs  pertain  not  to  me;  I  take  the 
place  of  his  holiness  in  the  service  of  the  gods;  I  fulfil  that 
office  as  I  know  best,  and  have  no  care  for  other  questions." 

"I  know,  worthiness,  that  thou  art  a  faithful  servant  of  the 
pharaoh,"  said  Tutmosis,  "and  I  have  no  thought  of  interfer 
ing  with  priestly  secrets ;  I  must  turn  thy  attention,  however, 
to  one  trifle.  I  have  learned  that  holy  Mefres  holds  a  certain 
Lykon,  a  Greek,  on  whom  two  crimes  are  weighing:  he  mur- 


632  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

dered  the  pharaoh's  son,  and  besides  he  looks  like  his  holi 
ness.  Let  the  worthy  Mefres  not  bring  disgrace  on  the 
revered  priestly  order;  let  him  yield  the  murderer  to  justice 
at  the  earliest;  for  if  we  find  Lykou,  I  swear  that  Mefres  will 
lose  not  his  office  alone,  but  his  head  also.  In  our  kingdom  it 
is  not  permitted  to  patronize  murderers  and  secrete  men  who 
resemble  the  sovereign." 

Sem,  in  whose  presence  Mefres  had  taken  Lykon  from  the 
police,  was  confused  out  of  fear  perhaps  that  he  might  be 
suspected  of  co-operation,  still  he  answered,  — 

"I  will  try  to  forewarn  holy  Mefres  of  these  suspicions. 
But  thou  knowest,  worthiness,  how  people  answer  who  attrib 
ute  crimes  to  others." 

"I  know  and  assume  responsibility.  I  am  so  certain  of  my 
case  that  I  have  no  concern  as  to  the  result  of  my  suspicions. 
Alarm  I  leave  to  holy  Mefres ;  I  trust  that  he  will  not  force 
me  to  pass  from  warning  to  energetic  action." 

The  conversation  had  its  result:  from  that  day  forth  no  man 
ever  saw  the  counterfeit  of  the  pharaoh.  But  reports  did  not 
cease;  Rameses  XIII. ,  however,  knew  nothing  of  them;  Tut- 
mosis  feared  violent  action  of  the  pharaoh  against  the  priests, 
hence  gave  him  no  information. 


CHAPTER   LXII 

IN  the  beginning  of  the  month  Paofi  (July,  August)  the 
pharaoh,  Queen  Nikotris,  and  the  court  returned  from 
Thebes  to  the  palace  at  Memphis.  Toward  the  end  of  the 
journey,  which  took  place  on  the  Nile  this  time  also,  Rameses 
fell  into  meditation  often,  and  said  once  to  Tutmosis,  — 

"I  notice  a  strange  thing.  The  people  assemble  on  both 
banks  as  numerously,  and  perhaps  even  more  so  than  they  did 
when  we  sailed  up  the  river,  but  their  shouts  are  far  weaker, 
boats  follow  us  in  smaller  numbers,  and  flowers  are  thrown 
from  them  stingily." 

"Divine  truth  flows  from  thy  lips,  lord,"  replied  Tutmosis. 
"Indeed  the  people  look  wearied,  but  great  heat  is  the  cause 
of  that." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  633 

"Thou  speakest  wisely,"  said  the  pharaoh  in  praise,  and 
his  face  brightened. 

But  Tutmosis  did  not  believe  his  own  words.  He  felt,  and 
what  was  worse  the  whole  retinue  felt,  that  the  masses  of  men 
had  grown  somewhat  cool  in  their  love  for  the  pharaoh. 
Whether  this  came  from  tales  of  the  unfortunate  illness  of  the 
sovereign,  or  from  new  intrigues,  Tutmosis  knew  not;  he  felt 
certain,  however,  that  the  priests  had  had  influence  in  produc 
ing  that  coolness. 

"That  is  a  stupid  rabble,"  thought  he,  not  restraining  the 
contempt  in  his  heart.  "A  short  time  ago  they  were  drowning 
just  to  look  at  the  face  of  his  holiness,  and  to-day  they  are 
sparing  their  voices.  Have  they  forgotten  the  seventh  day 
for  rest,  or  the  land  as  property?" 

Immediately  after  his  arrival  at  the  palace  the  pharaoh 
issued  an  order  to  assemble  delegates.  At  the  same  time  he 
commanded  officials  devoted  to  him,  and  also  the  police,  to 
begin  an  agitation  against  the  priests  and  in  favor  of  rest  on 
the  seventh  day  from  labor. 

Soon  there  was  a  buzzing  in  Lower  Egypt  as  in  a  beehive. 
The  common  people  claimed  not  only  a  day  for  repose,  but 
payment  for  public  labor.  Artisans  in  inns  and  on  the  streets 
abused  the  priests  for  wishing  to  limit  the  sacred  power  of  the 
pharaoh.  The  number  of  offenders  increased,  but  criminals 
would  not  appear  before  any  court.  Scribes  grew  timid,  and 
no  one  dared  strike  a  common  man,  knowing  that  he  would 
avenge  himself.  No  one  brought  offerings  to  a  temple.  Stones 
and  mud  were  hurled  more  and  more  frequently  at  the  gods 
guarding  boundaries,  and  at  times  these  gods  were  thrown 
down  even.  Fear  fell  on  priests  and  nomarchs  as  well  as  their 
adherents.  In  vain  did  judges  announce  on  the  highroads 
and  squares  that,  according  to  ancient  laws,  laborers,  artisans, 
and  even  merchants  were  not  to  busy  themselves  with  politics 
which  withdrew  them  from  bread-giving  labor.  The  crowd, 
amid  shouts  and  laughter,  hurled  rotten  vegetables  and  date 
skins  at  heralds. 

Meanwhile  the  most  powerful  gathered  at  the  palace,  and, 
prostrate  before  the  pharaoh,  begged  for  deliverance. 

"We  are,"  cried  they,  "as  if  the  ground  were  opening  under 


634  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

us,  and  as  if  the  world  were  nearing  its  end !  The  elements 
are  in  confusion,  men's  minds  are  vexed,  and  if  thou,  lord, 
wilt  not  rescue  us,  our  days  are  numbered." 

"My  treasury  is  empty,  the  army  not  numerous,  the  police 
have  seen  no  salary  this  long  time,'*  replied  the  pharaoh.  "If 
ye  wish  enduring  peace  and  safety  ye  must  find  funds  for  me. 
But  since  my  heart  is  troubled  by  your  fear  I  will  do  what  I 
can,  and  I  hope  to  restore  order." 

In  fact  his  holiness  gave  command  to  concentrate  troops 
and  dispose  them  at  the  most  important  points  in  the  king 
dom.  At  the  same  time  he  ordered  Nitager  to  leave  the 
eastern  boundary  to  his  assistant,  and  come  himself  with  five 
chosen  regiments  to  Memphis.  This  he  did  not  so  much  to 
protect  aristocrats  from  common  people  as  to  have  at  hand 
strong  forces  in  case  the  high  priests  incited  to  rebellion 
Upper  Egypt  and  the  troops  attached  to  temples. 

On  Paofi  10  there  was  a  great  movement  in  the  palace  and 
about  it.  The  delegates  who  were  to  recognize  the  pharaoh' s 
right  to  the  treasures  in  the  labyrinth  had  assembled,  also  a 
multitude  of  men  who  wished  at  least  to  look  at  the  place  of  a 
solemnity  rare  in  Egypt. 

The  procession  of  delegates  began  in  the  morning.  In  front 
went  naked  earth-tillers  wearing  white  caps  and  girdles ;  each 
held  in  his  hand  a  piece  of  coarse  cloth  to  cover  his  back  in 
presence  of  the  pharaoh.  Next  advanced  artisans  dressed  like 
the  earth-tillers,  from  whom  they  differed  in  wearing  finer  cloth 
and  narrow  aprons  covered  with  parti-colored  embroidery. 
Third  came  merchants,  some  in  wigs,  all  in  long  tunics  and 
pelerines.  Among  them  were  some  who  had  rich  bracelets  on 
their  arms  and  legs,  and  rings  on  their  fingers. 

Next  appeared  officers  in  caps  and  wearing  coats  with 
girdles  which  were  black  and  yellow,  blue  and  white,  blue  and 
red.  Two  instead  of  coats  had  bronze  breastplates.  After  a 
long  interval  appeared  thirteen  nobles,  wearing  immense  wigs 
and  white  robes  which  reached  the  pavement.  After  them  ad 
vanced  nomarchs  in  robes  bordered  with  a  purple  stripe,  and 
on  their  heads  were  coronets.  The  procession  was  closed  by 
priests  with  shaven  heads,  and  wearing  panther  skins  over 
their  shoulders. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  635 

The  delegates  entered  the  great  hall  of  the  pharaoh's  palace 
where  there  were  seven  benches,  one  behind  another,  the  high 
est  for  priests,  the  lowest  for  earth-tillers. 

Soon  appeared  in  a  litter  his  holiness,  Rameses  XIII., 
before  whom  the  delegates  fell  on  their  faces.  When  the  lord 
of  both  worlds  had  taken  his  seat  on  a  lofty  throne,  he  per 
mitted  his  faithful  subjects  to  rise  and  occupy  their  places. 
Now  Herhor,  Mefres,  and  the  overseer  of  the  labyrinth,  the 
latter  carrying  a  box,  entered  and  took  their  seats  on  lower 
thrones.  A  brilliant  suite  of  generals  surrounded  the  pharaoh, 
behind  whom  stood  two  high  officials  with  fans  of  peacock 
feathers. 

''Truth-believing  Egyptians,"  said  the  ruler  of  both  worlds, 
"it  is  known  to  you  that  my  court,  my  army,  and  my  officials 
are  in  such  need  that  the  impoverished  treasury  cannot  over 
come  it.  Of  expenses  concerning  my  sacred  person  I  speak 
not,  since  my  food  and  dress  are  like  those  of  a  warrior;  any 
general  or  chief  scribe  has  more  servants  and  women  than  I 
have." 

Among  those  assembled  a  murmur  of  assent  was  heard. 

"Hitherto  the  custom  has  been,"  continued  the  pharaoh, 
"that  when  the  treasury  needs  funds,  greater  taxes  are  im 
posed  on  working  people.  I,  who  know  my  people  and  their 
needs,  not  only  do  not  wish  to  add  burdens,  but  would  gladly 
lessen  those  which  they  now  bear." 

"Our  lord,  may  thou  live  through  eternity! "  said  some  from 
the  lowest  benches. 

"Happily  for  Egypt,"  said  the  pharaoh,  "our  kingdom  has 
treasures  through  which  we  may  improve  the  army,  pay  offi 
cials,  help  the  people,  and  even  pay  all  debts  which  we  owe 
either  to  the  temples  or  Phoenicians.  These  treasures,  col 
lected  by  my  glorious  ancestors,  are  lying  in  the  vaults  of 
the  labyrinth.  But  they  can  be  taken  only  if  all  you  right  be 
lievers  recognize  as  one  man  that  Egypt  is  in  need,  and  I,  your 
lord,  have  the  right  to  dispose  of  the  treasures  of  my  ancestors." 

"We  recognize!  We  entreat  thee  to  take  what  is  needed!  " 
was  the  answer  from  all  benches. 

"Worthy  Herhor,"  said  the  ruler,  turning  to  him,  "has  the 
sacred  priestly  order  aught  to  say  in  this  question?  " 


636  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

uVery  little,"  answered  the  high  priest  rising.  "According 
to  ancient  laws  the  treasure  of  the  labyrinth  may  be  touched 
only  when  the  state  has  no  other  means;  such  is  not  the  posi 
tion  at  present,  however,  for  should  the  government  wipe  away 
the  Phosuician  debts,  which  have  risen  from  dishonest  usury, 
not  only  would  they  fill  thy  treasury,  holiness,  but  men  work 
ing  to-day  for  Phoenicians  would  have  respite  from  grievous 
labor." 

On  the  benches  of  the  delegates  approbation  was  heard  now 
a  second  time. 

"Thy  advice  is  keen,  O  holy  man,"  replied  the  pharaoh, 
"but  full  of  danger.  Were  my  treasurer,  the  worthy  nom- 
archs,  and  the  nobles,  to  erase  what  the  state  owes  to  creditors, 
they  might  omit  one  day  to  pay  Phoenicians,  the  next  day  they 
might  forget  to  pay  sums  due  the  temples  and  the  pharaoh. 
Who  will  assure  me,  that  common  men,  encouraged  by  exam 
ples  from  the  great,  would  not  think  that  they,  too,  have  the 
right  to  forget  their  duties  toward  the  sovereign?" 

The  blow  was  so  weighty  that  the  most  worthy  Herhor  bent 
and  was  silent. 

"And  thou,  chief  overseer  of  the  labyrinth,  what  hast  thou 
to  say?"  asked  Rameses. 

"I  have  a  box  here,"  replied  the  overseer,  "with  white  and 
black  pebbles.  Every  delegate  will  receive  two  and  will  put 
one  of  them  into  a  pitcher;  whoso  wishes  thee,  holiness,  to 
break  the  treasure  in  the  labyrinth  will  put  in  a  black  pebble; 
whoso  wishes  that  the  property  of  the  gods  be  untouched  will 
put  in  a  white  one." 

"Agree  not,  O  lord,  to  that,"  whispered  the  treasurer  to  the 
sovereign.  "Let  each  delegate  tell  openly  what  he  has  on  his 
soul." 

"Let  us  respect  ancient  customs,"  interrupted  Mefres. 

"Yes,  let  them  put  pebbles  into  the  pitcher,"  decided  the 
pharaoh.  "My  heart  is  pure  and  my  plans  are  unbending." 

Holy  Mefres  and  Herhor  exchanged  glances.  The  overseer 
of  the  labyrinth  and  two  generals  went  around  the  benches 
and  gave  a  white  pebble  and  a  black  one  to  each  delegate. 
The  poor  men  from  the  common  crowd  were  confused  much  at 
seeing  before  them  such  great  dignitaries.  Some  fell  on  the 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  637 

floor,  did  not  dare  to  take  the  pebbles,  and  understood  with 
great  difficulty  that  they  were  to  put  only  one  pebble  into  the 
pitcher,  a  black  or  a  white  one. 

"I  wish  to  agree  with  the  gods  and  his  holiness,"  whispered 
an  old  shepherd. 

At  last  the  officials  succeeded  in  explaining,  and  the  com 
mon  men  in  understanding  what  was  needed.  The  voting 
began.  Each  delegate  went  to  the  pitcher  and  dropped  in  his 
pebble  in  such  fashion  that  others  did  not  see  its  color. 

Meanwhile  the  chief  treasurer  knelt  behind  the  throne,  and 
whispered,  — 

"All  is  lost!  If  they  had  voted  openly  we  should  have 
unanimity;  but  now  may  my  hand  wither  if  there  will  not  be 
twenty  white  pebbles  in  the  pitcher." 

"Be  at  rest,  faithful  servant,"  replied  Rameses  with  a  smile. 
"  I  have  more  regiments  at  hand  than  there  will  be  voices 
against  us." 

"But  to  what  purpose?  to  what  purpose?"  sighed  the  treas 
urer;  "without  unanimity  they  will  not  open  the  labyrinth." 

Rameses  smiled  all  the  time. 

The  procession  of  delegates  had  finished.  The  overseer  of 
the  labyrinth  raised  the  pitcher  and  poured  out  its  contents  on 
a  golden  tray. 

Of  ninety-one  pebbles  eighty-three  were  black  and  only 
eight  white. 

The  generals  and  officials  lost  courage,  the  high  priests 
looked  at  the  assembly  in  triumph,  but  soon  alarm  seized 
them,  for  the  face  of  Rameses  had  a  gladsome  expression. 

No  one  dared  to  declare  openly  that  the  plan  of  his  holiness 
had  been  defeated. 

"Right-believing  Egyptians,  my  good  servants,"  said  the 
pharaoh  with  perfect  freedom.  "Ye  have  carried  out  my  com 
mand,  and  my  favor  is  with  you ;  for  two  days  ye  will  be  guests 
in  my  house.  Ye  will  receive  presents  and  return  to  your 
houses  and  labors.  Peace  and  blessings  be  with  you." 

When  he  had  said  this  he  left  the  hall  with  his  suite.  The 
high  priests  Herhor  and  Mefres  gazed  with  a  look  of  alarm  at 
each  other. 

"He  is  not  troubled  in  any  way,"  whispered  Herhor. 


638  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

"Ah,  I  said  that  he  is  a  raging  wild  beast,"  replied 
Mef res.  "  He  will  not  hesitate  at  violence,  and  if  we  do  not 
anticipate  —  " 

"The  gods  will  defend  us  and  our  dwellings." 

In  the  evening  the  most  faithful  servants  of  Rameses  XIII. 
assembled  in  his  chamber:  the  chief  treasurer,  the  chief  scribe, 
Tutmosis,  and  Kalippos,  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Greek 
forces. 

"O  lord,"  groaned  the  treasurer,  "why  not  act  like  thy  eter 
nally  living  ancestors.  If  the  delegates  had  spoken  openly 
we  should  now  have  a  right  to  the  treasure  in  the  labyrinth." 

"His  worthiness  speaks  the  truth,"  put  in  the  chief  scribe. 

The  pharaoh  shook  his  head.. 

"Ye  are  mistaken.  If  all  Egypt  cried,  '  give  the  funds  in 
the  labyrinth,'  the  priests  would  not  give  them." 

"Then  why  disturb  the  priests  by  summoning  delegates? 
This  royal  act  has  stirred  them  greatly,  and  given  insolence  to 
common  men,  who  to-day  are  like  a  rising  deluge." 

"I  have  no  fear  of  this  deluge,"  said  the  pharaoh.  "My 
regiments  will  be  dams  against  it.  The  advantage  of  this 
delegation  is  evident,  since  it  shows  the  weakness  of  my 
opponents:  eighty-three  for  us,  eight  against  us.  It  proves 
that  if  they  can  count  on  one  corps  I  can  rely  on  ten.  Yield 
not  to  illusions;  between  me  and  the  high  priests  war  has 
begun  already.  They  are  the  fortress  which  we  have  sum 
moned  to  surrender.  They  have  refused;  we  must  storm  the 
fortress." 

"Live  forever!  "  cried  Tutmosis  and  Kalippos. 

"Command  us,"  said  the  chief  scribe. 

"This  is  my  will,"  said  Rameses.  "Thou,  O  treasurer, 
wilt  distribute  one  hundred  talents  among  the  police,  the  over 
seers  of  the  laborers,  and  the  mayors  in  the  provinces  of  Seft, 
Neha-cheut,  Nehapechu,  Sebt-Het,  Aa,  Ament,  and  Ka.  In 
those  same  places  you  will  give  the  innkeepers  and  the  keepers 
of  dramshops  barley,  wheat,  and  wine,  whatever  is  at  hand,  so 
that  common  men  may  have  meat  and  drink  free  of  charge. 
Ye  will  do  this  immediately,  so  that  there  be  supplies  wherever 
needed  till  the  23d  of  Paofi." 

The  treasurer  inclined  to  the  pavement. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  639 

"Thou,  scribe,  wilt  write  and  command  to-morrow  to  herald 
forth  in  the  streets  of  provincial  capitals  that  barbarians  of 
the  western  desert  are  advancing  in  great  force  to  attack  the 
province  of  Fay um.  Thou,  Kalippos,  wilt  despatch  four 
Greek  regiments  southward.  Two  of  these  will  halt  at  the 
labyrinth,  two  will  push  on  to  Hanes.  If  troops  of  the 
priests  go  from  Thebes  ye  will  drive  them  back  and  not  let 
them  approach  Fayum.  If  people  are  indignant  at  the  priests 
and  threaten  the  labyrinth,  thy  Greeks  will  occupy  the 
edifice." 

"But  if  the  overseers  of  the  labyrinth  refuse?"  inquired 
Kalippos. 

"That  would  be  rebellion,"  answered  the  pharaoh,  and 
continued,  — 

"Thou,  Tutmosis,  wilt  send  three  regiments  to  Memphis 
and  post  them  near  the  temples  of  Ptah,  Isis,  and  Horus.  If 
the  enraged  people  wish  to  storm  the  temples  the  commanders 
of  the  regiments  will  open  the  gates  to  themselves,  will  not 
admit  common  men  to  the  holy  places,  and  will  guarantee  the 
persons  of  the  high  priests  from  insult.  There  will  be  priests 
in  the  labyrinth  and  in  the  temples  of  Memphis,  who  will 
come  forth  to  the  army  with  green  branches.  The  com 
manders  of  regiments  will  ask  those  men  for  the  password 
and  will  counsel  with  them." 

"But  if  they  resist?"  inquired  Tutmosis. 

"Only  rebels  would  refuse  to  obey  commanders  of  the 
pharaoh,"  answered  Rameses.  "  The  temples  and  the  laby 
rinth  must  be  occupied  by  troops  on  the  23d  of  Paofi,"  con 
tinued  the  pharaoh,  turning  to  the  chief  scribe.  "The  people 
both  in  Memphis  and  Fayum  may  begin  to  assemble  on  the 
18th,  at  first  in  small  groups,  then  in  increasing  numbers. 
But  if  slight  disturbances  begin  about  the  20th,  they  are  not 
to  be  prevented.  The  people  are  to  storm  the  temples  not 
earlier  than  the  22d  and  23d.  And  when  troops  occupy  those 
points  all  must  be  quieted." 

"Would  it  not  be  better  to  imprison  Herhor  and  Mefres  at 
once?"  inquired  Tutmosis. 

"What  for?  I  am  not  concerned  about  them,  but  the  laby 
rinth  and  the  temples,  for  the  occupation  of  which  troops  are 


640  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

not  ready  yet.  Besides,  Hiram,  who  intercepted  Herhor's 
letters  to  the  Assyrians  will  return  no  sooner  than  the  20th. 
So  only  on  the  21st  of  Paofi  shall  we  have  proofs  in  our  hands 
that  the  high  priests  are  traitors,  and  we  shall  announce  their 
treason  in  public." 

"Then  am  I  to  go  to  Fayum?  "  inquired  Kalippos. 

"Oh,  no!  Thou  and  Tutmosis  will  remain  near  me  with 
chosen  regiments.  We  must  have  reserves  in  case  the  priests 
draw  away  a  part  of  the  people." 

"Art  thou  not  afraid  of  treason,  lord?  "  asked  Tutmosis. 

The  pharaoh  waved  his  hand  with  indifference.  "Treason 
is  always  leaking  out  like  water  from  a  swollen  barrel.  It 
will  be  difficult  for  the  high  priests  to  divine  my  plans,  while 
I  know  what  they  wish.  But  as  I  have  anticipated  them  in 
collecting  forces  they  will  be  weaker.  Regiments  are  not 
formed  in  a  few  days." 

"But  enchantments?"  inquired  Tutmosis. 

"There  are  no  enchantments  which  an  axe  will  not  shatter," 
said  Rameses,  laughing. 

Tutmosis  wished  at  that  moment  to  mention  the  tricks  of 
the  high  priests  with  Lykon,  but  he  was  restrained  by  the 
thought  that  his  lord  would  be  very  angry  and  lose  calmness, 
through  which  he  was  powerful  on  that  day.  A  chief  before 
battle  can  think  of  nothing  but  action,  and  there  would  be 
time  enough  for  Lykon's  case  when  the  priests  were  in  prison. 

At  a  sign  from  his  holiness  Tutmosis  remained  in  the 
chamber,  but  the  three  other  dignitaries  made  low  obeisances 
and  vanished. 

"At  last!"  sighed  the  chief  scribe,  when  he  found  himself 
with  the  treasurer  in  the  antechamber,  "at  last  the  power  of 
the  shaven  heads  is  ending." 

"Indeed  it  is  time,"  said  the  treasurer.  "During  the  last 
ten  years  any  prophet  had  more  power  than  the  nornarch  of 
Thebes  or  of  Memphis." 

"I  think  that  Herhor  is  preparing  in  secret  a  boat  in  which 
to  flee  before  the  23d  of  Paofi,"  put  in  Kalippos. 

"What  will  be  done  to  Herhor?"  said  the  scribe.  "His 
holiness,  who  is  terrible  to-day,  will  forgive  him  when  he  is 
obedient." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  641 

"And  even  leave  him  his  property  at  the  intercession  of 
Queen  Nikotris,"  said  the  treasurer.  "At  all  events  there 
will  be  order  in  the  state,  which  for  some  time  has  been 
lacking." 

"But  it  seems  to  me  that  his  holiness  is  making  too  great 
preparations,"  said  the  scribe.  "I  should  finish  all  with  the 
Greek  regiments,  and  not  employ  the  people." 

"He  is  young;  he  likes  noise  and  uproar,"  added  the 
treasurer. 

"How  clear  it  is  that  ye  are  not  warriors,"  said  Kalippos. 
'•'When  it  comes  to  battle  we  must  concentrate  all  the  forces, 
for  surprises  are  sure  to  happen." 

"They  would  happen  if  we  had  not  the  people  behind  us," 
said  the  scribe.  "But  what  unexpected  thing  can  happen? 
The  gods  will  not  come  down  to  defend  the  labyrinth." 

"Such  is  thy  speech,  worthiness,  for  thou  art  at  rest," 
answered  Kalippos;  "thou  knowest  that  the  supreme  chief  is 
watching  and  is  trying  to  foresee  everything ;  if  that  were  not 
the  case  thy  skin  might  creep." 

"I  see  no  surprises,"  contended  the  scribe,  "unless  the 
high  priests  are  spreading  reports  again  that  the  pharaoh  is 
demented." 

"They  will  try  various  tricks,"  added  the  treasurer,  yawn 
ing;  "but  in  fact  they  have  not  strength  enough.  In  every 
case  I  thank  the  gods  who  put  me  in  the  pharaoh's  camp. 
Well,  let  us  go  to  sleep." 

After  the  dignitaries  had  left  the  chamber  of  the  pharaoh, 
Tutmosis  opened  a  secret  door  in  one  of  the  walls,  and  led  in 
Samentu.  Rameses  received  the  high  priest  of  Set  with  great 
pleasure;  he  gave  him  his  hand  to  kiss,  and  pressed  his  head. 

"Peace  be  with  thee,  good  servant,"  said  the  sovereign. 
"What  dost  thou  bring  me?  " 

"I  have  been  t\vice  in  the  labyrinth,"  replied  the  priest. 

"And  dost  thou  know  the  way  now? " 

"I  knew  it  before,  but  this  time  I  have  made  a  new  dis 
covery:  the  treasure  chamber  may  sink,  people  may  be  lost, 
and  jewels  be  destroyed  which  are  of  the  greatest  value." 

The  pharaoh  frowned. 

"Therefore,"  continued  Samentu,  "be  pleased,  holiness,  to 

41 


642  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

have  ready  some  tens  of  reliable  men.  With  them  I  will 
enter  the  labyrinth  on  the  night  before  the  storm,  and  seize 
the  chambers  adjoining  the  treasury,  especially  the  upper 
ones." 

* '  Canst  thou  lead  in  men?  " 

"  Yes.  Though  I  will  go  alone  again  to  the  labyrinth,  and 
see  absolutely  whether  we  may  not  avert  destruction  unaided. 
Even  the  most  faithful  men  are  uncertain,  and  to  introduce 
them  at  night  might  rouse  the  attention  of  those  watchdogs." 

"  Are  they  not  following  thee  now?  "  asked  the  pharaoh. 

"  Believe  me,  lord,"  answered  the  priest,  placing  his  hand  on 
his  breast,  "  a  miracle  would  be  needed  to  follow  me.  Their 
blindness  is  almost  childlike.  They  feel  that  some  one  wants  to 
invade  the  labyrinth,  but  the  fools  have  doubled  the  guard  at 
the  ordinary  gateways.  Meanwhile,  in  the  course  of  a  month 
I  have  discovered  three  hidden  entrances,  these  they  have 
forgotten,  or  perhaps  they  know  nothing  about  them.  Only 
some  spirit  could  warn  those  guardians  that  I  traverse  the 
labyrinth,  or  indicate  the  room  in  which  I  may  find  myself. 
Among  three  thousand  chambers  and  corridors  this  is 
impossible." 

"  The  worthy  Samentu  speaks  truth,"  said  Tutmosis.  "  And 
perhaps  we  employ  too  much  keenness  against  these  priestly 
reptiles." 

"  Do  not  say  that,"  replied  the  priest.  u  Their  strength,  as 
compared  with  that  of  his  holiness,  is  as  a  handful  of  sand  in 
comparison  with  a  temple,  but  Herhor  and  Mefres  are  very 
wise,  and  they  may  use  weapons  against  us  and  means  before 
which  we  shall  be  dumb  with  amazement.  Our  temples  are  full 
of  secrets  which  will  arrest  even  sages,  and  bring  down  to  the 
dust  the  courage  of  the  multitude." 

u  Wilt  thou  tell  us  something  of  that?"  inquired  the 
pharaoh. 

"  I  will  say  first  that  the  warriors  of  your  holiness  will  meet 
with  wonders  in  the  temples.  In  one  chamber  torches  will 
quench  in  their  hands,  in  another,  flames  and  disgusting 
monsters  will  surround  them.  In  one  place  a  wall  will  stop 
the  way,  or  a  gulf  will  open  before  their  feet.  In  some  corri 
dors  water  will  cover  them,  in  others  invisible  hands  will  throw 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  G43 

stones  at  them.  And  such  thunders,  such  voices  will  be  heard 
round  about.'5 

"  In  every  temple  I  have  partisans  among  the  younger  priests, 
and  thou  wilt  be  in  the  labyrinth  —  "  said  the  pharaoh. 

"  But  our  axes?  "  said  Tutmosis.  "  He  is  a  poor  soldier  who 
draws  back  before  flames  or  frightful  pictures,  or  who  loses 
time  listening  to  mysterious  voices." 

"Thou  speakest  well,  chief,"  cried  Samentu.  "  If  ye  go 
ahead  valiantly,  terrors  will  vanish,  voices  cease,  and  flames 
burn  no  longer.  Now  my  last  word,  lord,"  said  the  priest, 
turning  to  Rameses.  "  If  I  perish  — 

"  Do  not  speak  thus,"  interrupted  the  pharaoh  quickly. 

"  A  young  priest  of  Set  will  come  to  thee,  holiness,  with  my 
ring.  Let  the  army  occupy  the  labyrinth  and  expel  the  over 
seers,  and  let  them  not  leave  the  building,  for  that  young 
priest  in  the  course  of  a  month,  perhaps,  or  even  earlier, 
will  find  the  way  to  the  treasures  with  the  indications  which  I 
will  leave  him.  But,  lord,"  continued  Samentu  kneeling  down, 
"I  implore  thee  for  one  thing:  when  thou  shalt  conquer, 
avenge  me,  and  above  all,  pardon  not  Mefres  and  Herhor. 
Thou  knowest  not  what  enemies  they  are.  If  they  win,  thou 
wilt  perish,  not  only  thou,  but  the  dynasty." 

"But  does  not  magnanimity  become  a  victor?"  inquired  the 
pharaoh  gloomily. 

"  No  magnanimity !  No  favor !  "  cried  Samentu.  "  As  long 
as  they  live  we  are  threatened,  thou  and  I,  with  death,  with 
shame,  even  with  insult  to  our  corpses.  It  is  possible  to  fondle 
a  lion,  to  buy  a  Phoenician,  to  win  the  attachment  of  a  Libyan 
and  an  Ethiopian.  It  is  possible  to  win  favor  from  a  Chaldean 
priest,  for  he,  like  an  eagle,  soars  above  heights  and  is  safe  from 
missiles.  But  an  Egyptian  prophet  who  has  tried  power  and 
luxury  thou  wilt  win  with  nothing,  only  his  death  or  thine  can 
end  the  conflict." 

"Samentu  speaks  truth,"  said  Tutmosis.  "Happily  not  his 
holiness,  but  we,  the  warriors,  will  decide  the  ancient  struggle 
between  the  priests  and  the  pharaoh." 


644  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 


CHAPTER   LXIII 

ON  Paofi  12  alarming  news  went  forth  from  various  Egyp 
tian  temples.  During  a  few  preceding  days  an  altar  was 
overturned  in  the  temple  of  Horus ;  in  the  temple  of  Isis  a 
statue  of  the  goddess  shed  tears.  In  the  temple  of  Arnon 
at  Thebes,  and  from  the  tomb  of  Osiris  in  Dendera,  omens  of 
much  evil  were  given.  The  priests  inferred  from  infallible 
signs  that  some  dreadful  misfortune  would  threaten  Egypt  be 
fore  the  month  had  ended.  Hence  Herhor  and  Mefres,  the  high 
priests,  commanded  processions  around  the  temples  and  sacri 
fice  in  houses. 

On  Paofi  13  there  was  a  great  procession  in  Memphis:  the 
god  Ptah  issued  from  his  temple,  and  the  goddess  Isis  from 
hers.  Both  divinities  moved  toward  the  centre  of  the  city  with 
a  very  small  assembly  of  believers,  mainly  women.  But  they 
were  forced  to  withdraw,  for  Egyptians  reviled  them  and 
foreigners  went  so  far  as  to  hurl  stones  at  the  sacred  boats 
of  the  divinities. 

In  presence  of  these  abuses  the  police  bore  themselves  with 
indifference,  some  of  them  even  took  part  in  unseemly  jests. 
During  the  afternoon  unknown  persons  told  the  crowd  that  the 
priests  would  not  permit  relief  to  be  given  the  people  and 
desired  a  rebellion  against  the  pharaoh. 

Toward  evening  laborers  gathered  in  crowds  at  the  temples, 
where  they  hissed  the  priests  and  abused  them.  Meanwhile 
stones  were  hurled  at  the  gate,  and  some  criminals  openly  beat 
off  the  nose  of  Horus  who  was  on  guard  at  his  own  entrance. 

A  couple  of  hours  after  sunset  the  high  priests  and  their 
most  faithful  adherents  assembled  in  the  temple  of  Ptah.  The 
worthy  Herhor  was  there;  so  were  Mefres,  Mentezufis,  three 
nomarchs,  and  the  highest  judge. 

uTerrible  times!  "  said  the  judge.  "I  know  to  a  certainty 
that  the  pharaoh  wishes  to  rouse  a  rabble  to  attack  temples." 

UI  have  heard,"  said  the  nomarch  of  Sebes,  "that  an  order 
has  been  sent  to  Nitager  to  hurry  at  the  earliest  with  new 
troops,  as  if  those  here  were  insufficient." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  645 

"  Communication  betweer  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt  is  inter 
rupted  since  yesterday,"  added  the  nomarch  of  Aa.  "On  the 
roads  are  posted  troops,  and  the  galleys  of  his  holiness  exam 
ine  every  barge  sailing  on  the  river." 

"  Rameses  XIII.  is  not  'holiness,'"  said  Mefres,  dryly, 
"for  he  has  not  received  a  crown  from  the  gods  yet." 

"  All  this  would  be  a  trifle,"  said  the  judge.  "  Treason  is 
worse.  We  have  indications  that  many  of  the  younger  priests 
are  favorable  to  the  pharaoh  and  inform  him  of  everything." 

"  There  are  some  even  who  have  undertaken  to  facilitate  the 
occupation  of  the  temples  by  troops,"  added  Herhor. 

"  Are  troops  to  enter  the  temples?"  exclaimed  the  nomarch 
of  Sebes. 

"  They  have  such  an  order  at  least  for  the  23d,"  replied 
Herhor. 

"And  dost  thou  speak  of  this,  worthiness,  quietly?"  in 
quired  the  nomarch  of  Ament. 

Herhor  shrugged  his  shoulders,  while  the  nomarchs  ex 
changed  glances. 

"  I  do  not  understand  this,"  said  the  nomarch  of  Aa,  almost 
in  anger.  "  There  are  barely  a  few  hundred  warriors  at  the 
temples,  some  priests  are  traitors,  the  pharaoh  cuts  us  off  from 
Thebes  and  is  rousing  the  people,  while  the  worthy  Herhor 
speaks  as  though  we  were  invited  to  a  banquet.  Either  let  us 
defend  ourselves,  if  that  be  still  possible,  or  —  " 

"Shall  we  yield  to  'his  holiness'?"  inquired  Mefres.  with 
irony. 

"  We  shall  have  time  for  that  always!  " 

"  But  we  should  like  to  learn  about  means  of  defence," 
said  the  nomarch  of  Sebes. 

"  The  gods  will  save  those  who  are  faithful  to  them," 
answered  Herhor. 

The  nomarch  of  Aa  wrung  his  hands. 

"  If  I  am  to  open  my  heart,  I  must  say  that  I  too  am  aston 
ished  at  thy  indifference,"  said  the  judge.  "  Almost  all  the 
people  are  against  us." 

"  The  common  people  are  like  barley  in  the  field,  they  incline 
with  the  wind." 

"  But  the  army?" 


646  THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  What  army  will  not  fall  before  Osiris  ?  " 

"  I  know,"  replied  the  nomarch  of  Aa,  with  impatience,  "  but 
I  see  neither  Osiris  nor  that  wind  which  is  to  turn  the  people 
toward  us.  Meanwhile,  the  pharaoh  has  attached  them  by 
promises,  and  he  will  appear  with  gifts  to-morrow." 

"  Fear  is  stronger  than  promises  and  gifts,"  replied  Herhor. 

"  What  have  they  to  fear?  Those  three  hundred  soldiers  of 
ours?" 

"  They  will  fear  Osiris." 

"  But  where  is  he?"  asked  the  indignant  nomarch  of  Aa. 

"  Ye  will  see  him.  But  happy  the  man  who  will  be  blind  on 
that  day." 

Herhor  spoke  with  such  calm  solemnity  that  silence  settled 
on  the  assembly. 

"  But  what  shall  we  do?  "  asked  the  judge  after  a  while. 

"  The  pharaoh,"  said  Herhor,  "  wishes  the  people  to  attack 
the  temple  on  the  23d.  We  must  make  them  attack  us  on  the 
20th  of  Paofi." 

"  The  gods  live  through  eternity  !  "  cried  the  nomarch  of  Aa, 
raising  his  hands.  "But  why  should  we  bring  misfortune  on 
our  heads,  and  besides  two  days  earlier?" 

"Listen  to  Herhor,"  said  Mefres  with  a  voice  of  decision; 
"  try  by  all  means  that  the  attack  be  made  on  the  morning  of 
the  20th." 

"  But  if  they  beat  us  in  fact?"  inquired  the  judge  in  confu 
sion. 

"  If  Herhor's  spells  fail  I  will  call  the  gods  to  assist  us/' 
replied  Mefres,  and  in  his  eyes  was  an  ominous  glitter. 

"Ah,  ye  high  priests  have  secrets  which  ye  may  not  explain 
to  us.  We  will  do  what  ye  command ;  we  will  cause  the  attack 
on  the  20th.  But  remember,  on  your  heads  be  our  blood  and 
the  blood  of  our  children." 

"So  be  it!     So  be  it!  "  cried  both  high  priests  together. 

Then  Herhor  added  :  "  For  ten  years  we  have  governed  the 
state,  and  during  that  time  no  wrong  has  happened  to  any  of 
you,  and  we  have  kept  every  promise ;  so  be  patient  and  faith 
ful  for  a  few  days.  Ye  will  see  the  might  of  the  gods  and 
receive  your  reward." 

The  nomarchs  took  farewell  of  the  high  priests,  not  trying 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  647 

even  to  hide  their  own  grief  and  alarm.  Only  Herhor  and 
Mefres  remained.  After  a  long  silence  Herhor  said,  — 

u  Yes,  that  Lykon  was  good  as  long  as  he  counterfeited  the 
maniac.  But  that  it  should  be  possible  to  show  him  instead  of 
Rameses  — 

"  If  the  mother  did  not  detect  him,"  answered  Mefres,  "  the 
man  must  resemble  Rarneses  remarkably.  As  to  sitting  on  the 
throne  and  saying  a  few  words  to  those  present,  he  will  do  that. 
Moreover,  we  shall  be  there." 

"  A  terribly  stupid  comedian  !  "  sighed  Herhor,  rubbing  his 
forehead. 

u  He  is  wiser  than  millions  of  other  men,  for  he  has  second 
sight  and  he  may  render  the  state  immense  service." 

"Thou  art  speaking  continually,  worthiness,  of  that  second 
sight.  Let  me  convince  myself  of  it  certainly." 

"Dost  thou  wish  to  do  so?"  inquired  Mefres.  "Well  come 
with  me.  But  by  the  gods,  Herhor,  mention  not,  even  before 
thy  own  heart,  what  thou  shalt  witness." 

They  went  beneath  the  temple  of  Ptah  and  entered  a  large 
vault  where  a  lamp  was  then  gleaming.  By  the  feeble  light 
Herhor  saw  a  man  sitting  at  a  table;  he  was  eating.  The 
man  wore  a  coat  of  the  pharaoh's  guardsmen. 

"Lykon,"  said  Mefres,  "the  highest  dignitary  of  the  state 
wishes  evidence  of  those  powers  with  which  the  gods  have 
gifted  thee." 

"Cursed  be  the  day  in  which  the  soles  of  my  feet  touched 
your  land!  "  muttered  Lykon,  pushing  away  a  plate  with  food  on 
it.  "I  should  rather  labor  in  the  quarries,  and  be  beaten  —  " 

"There  will  be  time  for  that  always,"  interrupted  Herhor, 
severely. 

The  Greek  was  silent,  and  trembled  suddenly  when  he  saw  a 
dark  crystal  globe  in  the  hand  of  Mefres.  He  grew  pale,  his 
sight  became  dim,  large  drops  of  sweat  came  out  on  his  face. 
His  eyes  were  fixed  on  one  point,  as  if  fastened  to  that  ball  of 
crystal. 

"He  is  sleeping,"  said  Mefres.     "Is  this  not  wonderful?" 

"If  he  is  not  feigning." 

"Punch  him,  stick  him,  burn  him  even,"  said  Mefres. 

Herhor  drew  from  under  his  white  robe  a  dagger  and  pointed 


648  THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST 

it  as  if  to  strike  Lykon  between  the  eyes,  but  the  Greek  did 
not  move,  even  his  eyelids  did  not  quiver. 

"Look!"  said  Mefres,  holding  the  crystal  up  to  Lykon. 
"Dost  thou  see  the  man  who  carried  off  Kama?" 

The  Greek  sprang  from  his  chair,  his  fists  were  clenched, 
and  there  was  saliva  on  his  lips. 

"Let  me  go!"  cried  he  with  a  hoarse  voice.  "Let  me  go 
and  drink  his  blood." 

"  Where  is  he  now?  "  inquired  Mefres. 

"In  the  villa  at  the  side  of  the  garden  next  the  river.  A 
beautiful  woman  is  with  him." 

"Her  name  is  Hebron,  and  she  is  the  wife  of  Tutmosis," 
added  Herhor.  "Confess,  Mefres,  that  second  sight  is  not 
needed  to  know  that." 

Mefres  closed  his  thin  lips  tightly. 

"  If  this  does  not  convince  thee,  worthiness,  I  will  show  some 
thing  better,"  said  he  at  length.  "Lykon,  find  now  the  traitor 
who  is  seeking  the  way  to  the  treasure  of  the  labyrinth." 

The  sleeping  Greek  looked  for  a  while  at  the  crystal  intently, 
and  answered,  — 

"  I  see  him  —  he  is  dressed  in  the  rags  of  a  beggar." 

"Where  is  he?  " 

"  In  the  court  of  the  last  inn  before  the  labyrinth.  He  will 
be  there  in  the  morning." 

"  How  does  he  look?  " 

"He  has  red  hair  and  beard,"  answered  Lykon. 

"  Well?"  inquired  Mefres  of  Herhor. 

"  Thou  hast  good  police,  worthiness,"  replied  Herhor. 

"  But  the  overseers  of  the  labyrinth  guard  it  poorly !  "  said 
Mefres  in  anger.  "  I  will  go  there  to-night  with  Lykon  to  warn 
the  local  priests.  But  if  I  succeed  in  saving  the  treasure  of 
the  gods,  thou  wilt  permit  me  to  become  its  overseer, 
worthiness  ?  " 

"  As  thou  wishest,"  answered  Herhor  with  indifference. 
But  in  his  heart  he  added  :  "  The  pious  Mefres  begins  at  last 
to  show  his  claws  and  teeth.  He  desires  to  become  only  over 
seer  of  the  labyrinth,  and  his  ward,  Lykon,  he  would  make 
only  —  pharaoh !  Indeed,  to  satisfy  the  greed  of  my  assist 
ants  the  gods  would  have  to  make  ten  Egypts." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  649 

When  both  dignitaries  had  left  the  vault,  Herhor,  in  the 
night,  returned  on  foot  to  the  temple  of  Isis  where  he  had  a 
dwelling,  but  Mefres  commanded  to  make  ready  a  couple  of 
litters  on  horses.  In  one  of  these  the  younger  priests  placed  the 
sleeping  Lykon  with  a  bag  on  his  head ;  in  the  other  the  high 
priest  himself  took  his  place  and,  surrounded  by  a  party  of 
horsemen  went  at  a  sharp  trot  in  the  direction  of  Fay um. 

On  the  night  between  the  14th  and  15th  Paofi  the  high  priest 
Samentu,  according  to  the  promise  given  Rameses,  entered  the 
labyrinth  by  a  corridor  known  to  himself  only.  He  had  in  his 
hand  a  bundle  of  torches,  one  of  which  was  burning,  and  on  his 
back  he  carried  tools  in  a  small  basket. 

Samentu  passed  very  easily  from  hall  to  hall,  from  corridor 
to  corridor,  pushing  back  with  a  touch  stone  slabs  in  columns 
and  in  walls  where  there  were  secret  doors.  Sometimes  he 
hesitated,  but  then  he  read  mysterious  signs  on  the  walls  and 
compared  them  with  signs  on  the  beads  which  he  bore  on  his 
neck. 

After  a  journey  of  half  an  hour  he  found  himself  in  the 
treasure  room,  —  whence  by  pushing  aside  a  slab  in  the  pave 
ment  he  reached  a  hall  in  the  lower  story.  The  hall  was 
spacious  and  its  ceiling  rested  on  a  number  of  short  thick 
columns. 

Samentu  put  down  his  basket  and,  lighting  two  torches, 
began  by  the  light  of  them  to  read  inscriptions  on  the  walls. 

"Despite  my  wretched  figure,"  declared  one  inscription,  "I 
am  a  real  son  of  the  gods,  for  my  auger  is  terrible. 

"  In  the  open  air  I  turn  to  a  column  of  fire,  and  I  am  light 
ning.  Confined  I  am  thunder  and  destruction,  and  no  building 
can  resist  me. 

"  Nothing  can  weaken  me  but  sacred  water  which  takes  my 
force  away.  But  my  anger  is  roused  as  well  by  the  smallest 
spark  as  by  a  flame. 

"In  my  presence  everything  is  twisted  and  broken.  I  am 
like  Typhon,  who  overturns  the  highest  trees  and  lifts  rocks 
from  their  places." 

"  In  one  word,  every  temple  has  its  secret  which  others  do  not 
know,"  thought  Samentu. 

He  opened  oqe  column  and  took  a  large  pot  from  it.     The 


650  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

pot  had  a  cover  sealed  with  wax,  also  an  opening  through 
which  passed  a  long  slender  cord ;  it  was  unknown  where  this 
cord  ended  inside  the  column.  Samentu  cut  off  a  piece, 
touched  the  torch  with  it  and  saw  that  the  cord  gave  out  a  hiss 
and  burned  quickly.  Then  with  a  knife  he  removed  the  cover 
very  carefully  and  saw  inside  the  pot  as  it  were  sand  and 
pebbles  of  an  ashen  color.  He  took  out  a  couple  of  the  pebbles 
and  going  aside  touched  them  with  the  torch.  In  one  moment 
a  flame  burst  forth  and  the  pebbles  vanished  leaving  thick 
smoke  behind  and  a  disagreeable  odor.  Samentu  took  some  of 
the  ash-colored  sand,  poured  it  on  the  pavement,  put  in  the 
middle  of  it  a  piece  of  the  cord  which  he  had  found  at  the  pot, 
covered  all  with  a  heavy  stone.  Then  he  touched  the  cord 
with  his  torch,  the  cord  burned  and  after  a  while  the  stone 
sprang  up  in  a  flame. 

"  I  have  that  son  of  the  gods  now !  "  said  Samentu  smiling. 
"  The  treasure  will  not  be  lost." 

He  went  from  column  to  column  to  open  slabs  and  take  out 
hidden  pots.  In  each  pot  was  a  cord  which  Samentu  cut,  the 
pots  he  left  at  one  side. 

"  Well,"  said  the  priest,  "  his  holiness  might  give  me  half 
these  treasures  and  make  my  son  a  nomarch  —  and  surely  he 
will  do  so,  for  he  is  a  magnanimous  sovereign." 

When  lie  had  rendered  the  lower  hall  safe  in  this  way 
Samentu  returned  to  the  treasure  chamber,  and  hence  went  to 
the  upper  hall.  There  also  were  various  inscriptions  on  the 
walls,  numerous  columns  and  in  them  pots  provided  with  cords 
and  filled  with  kernels  which  burst  when  fire  touched  them. 
Samentu  cut  the  cords,  removed  the  pots  from  the  interior  of 
the  columns,  and  tied  up  in  a  rag  one  pinch  of  the  sand.  Then 
being  wearied  he  sat  down  to  rest.  Six  of  his  torches  were 
burnt  now.  The  night  must  have  been  nearing  its  end. 

"I  never  should  have  supposed,"  said  he  to  himself,  "that 
those  priests  had  such  a  wonderful  agent.  Why,  with  it  they 
could  overturn  Assyrian  fortresses  !  Well,  we  will  not  tell  our 
own  pupils  everything  either." 

The  wearied  man  fell  to  thinking.  Now  he  was  certain  that 
he  would  hold  the  highest  position  in  Egypt,  a  position  higher 
than  that  held  by  Herhor.  What  would  he  do?  Very  much. 


THE   PHARAOH    AND   THE   PRIEST  651 

He  would  secure  wealth  and  wisdom  to  his  posterity.  He  would 
try  to  gain  their  secrets  from  all  the  temples  and  this  would  in 
crease  his  power  immensely ;  he  would  secure  to  Egypt  pre 
eminence  above  Assyria. 

The  young  pharaoh  jeered  at  the  gods,  that  would  facilitate 
to  Saraeutu  the  establishment  of  the  worship  of  one  god,  Osiris, 
for  example ;  and  the  union  of  Phoenicians,  Jews,  Greeks,  and 
Libyans  in  one  state  with  Egypt. 

Together  they  would  make  the  canal  to  join  the  Red  Sea  and 
the  Mediterranean.  Along  that  canal  they  would  build  for 
tresses  and  concentrate  a  numerous  army  —  all  the  trade  with 
unknown  nations  of  the  Orient  and  the  West  would  fall  into 
the  hands  of  Egyptians. 

They  would  require  an  Egyptian  fleet  and  Egyptian  sailors. 
But  above  all  was  the  need  to  crush  Assyria,  which  was  grow 
ing  each  year  more  dangerous.  It  was  imperative  to  stop 
priestly  greed  and  excesses.  Let  priests  be  sages,  let  them 
have  a  sufficiency,  but  let  them  serve  the  state  instead  of  using 
it  for  their  own  profit  as  at  present. 

"  In  the  month  Hator,"  thought  Samentu,  "I  shall  be  ruler 
of  Egypt!  The  young  lord  loves  women  and  warriors  too  well 
to  labor  at  governing.  And  if  he  has  no  son,  then  my  son,  my 
son  —  " 

He  came  to  himself.  One  more  torch  had  burnt  out;  it  was 
high  time  to  leave  those  underground  chambers. 

He  rose,  took  his  basket  and  left  the  hall  above  the 
treasure. 

"I  need  no  assistance,"  thought  he,  laughing.  "I  have 
secured  everything  —  I  alone  —  I,  the  depised  priest  of  Set !  " 

He  had  passed  a  number  of  tens  of  chambers  and  corridors 
when  he  halted  on  a  sudden.  It  seemed  to  him  that  on  the 
pavement  of  the  hall  to  which  he  was  going  he  saw  a  small 
streak  of  light. 

In  one  moment  such  dreadful  fear  seized  the  man  that  he  put 
out  his  torch.  But  the  streak  of  light  on  the  pavement  had 
vanished.  Samentu  strained  his  hearing,  but  he  heard  only  the 
throbbing  of  his  own  temples. 

"  That  only  seemed  to  me  !  "  said  he. 

With  a  trembling  hand  he  took  out  of  the  basket  a  small 


652  THE    PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

vessel  in  which  punk  was  burning  slowly,  and  he  lighted  the 
torch  again. 

"I  am  very  drowsy,"  thought  he.  Looking  around  the 
chamber  he  went  to  a  wall  in  which  a  door  was  hidden.  He 
pushed  a  nail ;  the  door  did  not  slip  back.  A  second,  a  third 
pressure  —  no  effect. 

kt  What  does  this  mean?  "  thought  Samentu  in  amazement. 

He  forgot  now  the  streak  of  light.  It  seemed  to  him  that  a 
new  thing,  unheard  of,  had  met  him.  He  had  opened  in  his  life 
so  many  hundreds  of  secret  doors,  he  had  opened  so  many  in 
the  labyrinth,  that  he  could  not  understand  simply  the  present 
resistance.  Terror  seized  him  a  second  time.  He  ran  from  wall 
to  wall  and  tried  secret  doors  everywhere.  At  last  one  opened. 
He  found  himself  in  an  immense  hall,  filled  as  usual  with 
columns.  His  torch  lighted  barely  a  part  of  the  space,  the 
remainder  of  it  was  lost  in  thick  darkness. 

The  darkness,  the  forest  of  columns,  and  above  all  the 
strangeness  of  the  hall  gave  the  priest  confidence.  At  the 
bottom  of  his  fear  a  spark  of  naive  hope  was  roused  then.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  since  he  did  not  know  the  place  himself  no 
one  else  knew  it,  and  that  no  man  would  meet  him  in  that 
labyrinth. 

He  was  pacified  somewhat  and  felt  that  his  legs  were  bending 
under  him ;  so  he  sat  down.  But  again  he  sprang  up  and 
looked  around,  as  if  to  learn  whether  danger  was  really  threat 
ening,  and  whence.  From  which  of  those  dark  corners  would 
it  come  out  to  rush  at  him  ? 

Samentu  was  acquainted  as  no  other  man  in  Egypt  with 
subterranean  places,  with  going  astray,  and  with  darkness.  He 
had  passed  also  through  many  alarms  in  his  life.  But  that 
which  he  experienced  then  was  something  perfectly  new  and 
so  terrible  that  the  priest  feared  to  give  its  own  name  to  it. 

At  last,  with  great  effort,  he  collected  his  thoughts,  and 
said,  — 

"  If  indeed  I  have  seen  a  light  —  if  indeed  some  one  has 
closed  the  doors,  I  am  betrayed.  In  that  case  what?  " 

' '  Death !  "  whispered  a  voice  hidden  in  the  bottom  of  his 
soul  somewhere. 

"Death?" 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  653 

Sweat  came  out  on  his  face,  his  breath  stopped.  All  at  once 
the  madness  of  fear  mastered  him.  He  ran  through  the  cham 
ber  and  struck  his  fist  against  the  wall,  seeking  an  exit.  He 
forgot  where  he  was  and  how  he  had  got  there ;  he  lost  his 
direction,  and  even  the  power  of  taking  bearings  with  the 
bead-string. 

All  at  once  he  felt  that  in  him  were  two  persons,  so  to  speak  : 
one  really  bewildered,  the  other  wise  and  self-possessed.  This 
wise  man  explained  to  himself  that  all  might  be  imagination, 
that  no  one  had  discovered  him,  that  no  one  was  searching, 
and  that  he  could  escape  if  he  would  recover  somewhat.  But 
the  first,  the  bewildered  man,  would  not  listen  to  the  voice  of 
wisdom ;  on  the  contrary,  he  gained  on  his  internal  antagonist 
every  moment. 

Oh,  if  he  could  only  hide  in  some  column !  Let  them  seek 
then  —  Though  surely  no  one  would  seek,  and  no  one  would 
find  him,  while  self-command  would  come  again  to  him. 

"  What  can  happen  to  me  here?  "  said  he,  shrugging  his  shoul 
ders.  "If  I  calm  myself  they  can  chase  me  through  the  whole 
labyrinth.  To  cut  off  all  the  roads  there  would  have  to  be 
many  thousand  persons,  and  to  indicate  what  cell  I  am  in  a 
miracle  would  be  needed !  But  let  us  suppose  that  they  seize 
me.  Then  what?  I  will  take  this  little  vial  here,  put  it  to  my 
lips,  and  in  one  moment  I  shall  flee  away  so  that  no  one  could 
catch  me  —  not  even  a  divinity." 

But  in  spite  of  reasoning,  such  terrible  fear  seized  the  man 
again  that  he  put  out  the  torch  a  second  time,  and  trembling, 
his  teeth  chattering,  he  pushed  up  to  one  of  the  columns. 

4 'How  was  it  possible  —  how  could  I  decide  to  come  in 
here?"  thought  Samentu.  "Had  I  not  food  to  eat,  a  place 
on  which  to  lay  my  head?  It  is  a  simple  thing,  1  am  discov 
ered  !  The  labyrinth  has  a  multitude  of  overseers  as  watchful 
as  dogs,  and  only  a  child,  or  an  idiot,  would  think  of  deceiving 
them.  Property  —  power !  Where  is  the  treasure  for  which  it 
would  be  worth  while  for  a  man  to  give  one  day  of  his  life? 
And  here,  I,  a  man  in  the  bloom  of  existence,  have  exposed 
myself." 

It  seemed  to  him  that  he  heard  heavy  knocking.  He  sprang 
up  and  in  the  depth  of  the  chamber  he  saw  a  gleam  of  light. 


654  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Yes !  —  a  real  gleam  of  light,  not  an  illusion.  At  a  dis 
tant  wall,  somewhere  at  the  end,  stood  an  open  door  through 
which  at  that  moment  armed  men  were  coming  in  carefully  with 
torches. 

At  sight  of  this  the  priest  felt  a  chill  in  his  feet,  in  his  heart, 
in  his  head.  He  doubted  no  longer  that  he  was  not  merely 
discovered,  but  hunted  and  surrounded. 

Who  could  have  betrayed  him?  Of  course  only  one  man: 
the  young  priest  of  Set,  whom  he  had  acquainted  minutely 
enough  with  his  purposes.  The  traitor,  if  alone,  would  have 
had  to  look  almost  a  month  for  the  way  to  the  treasure,  but  if 
he  had  agreed  with  the  overseers  they  might  in  one  day  track 
out  Samentu. 

At  that  moment  the  high  priest  felt  the  impressions  known 
only  to  men  who  are  looking  at  death  face  to  face.  He  ceased 
to  fear  since  his  imagined  alarms  had  now  vanished  before  real 
torches.  Not  only  did  he  regain  self-command,  but  he  felt 
immensely  above  everything  living.  In  a  short  time  he  would 
be  threatened  no  longer  by  danger  of  any  sort. 

The  thoughts  flew  through  his  head  with  lightning  clearness 
and  speed.  He  took  in  the  wrhole  of  his  existence:  his  toils, 
his  perils,  his  hopes,  his  ambitions,  and  all  of  those  seemed  to 
him  a  trifle.  For  what  would  it  serve  him  to  be  at  that  moment 
the  pharaoh,  or  to  own  every  treasure  in  all  kingdoms?  They 
were  vanity,  dust,  and  even  worse  —  an  illusion.  Death  alone 
was  all-mighty  and  genuine. 

Meanwhile  the  torch-bearers  were  examining  columns  most 
carefully,  and  also  every  corner ;  they  had  passed  through  half 
the  immense  hall.  Samentu  saw  even  the  points  of  their 
lances,  and  noted  that  the  men  hesitated  and  advanced  with 
alarm  and  repulsion.  A  few  steps  behind  them  was  another 
group  of  persons  to  whom  one  torch  gave  light.  Samentu  did 
not  even  feel  aversion  toward  them,  he  was  only  curious  as  to 
who  could  have  betrayed  him.  But  even  that  point  did  not 
concern  him  overmuch,  for  incomparably  more  important  then 
seemed  the  question :  Why  must  he  die,  and  why  had  he  been 
brought  into  existence  ?  For  with  death  present  as  a  fact  a 
whole  life-time  is  shortened  into  one  painful  minute  even  though 
that  life  were  the  longest  of  all  and  the  richest  in  experience. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  655 

"  Why  was  he  alive?     For  what  purpose?  " 

He  was  sobered  by  the  voice  of  one  of  the  armed  men,  — 

"There  is  no  one  here,  and  cannot  be." 

They  halted.  Samentu  felt  that  he  loved  those  men,  and 
his  heart  thumped  within  him. 

The  second  group  of  persons  came  up;  among  them  there 
was  a  discussion,  — 

"How  can  even  thou,  worthiness,  suppose  that  some  one  has 
entered?"  asked  a  voice  quivering  with  anger.  "All  the 
entrances  are  guarded,  especially  now.  And  even  if  any  one 
stole  in  it  would  be  only  to  die  here  of  hunger." 

"But,  worthiness,  see  how  this  Lykon  bears  himself," 
answered  another  voice.  "The  sleeping  man  looks  all  the 
time  as  if  he  felt  an  enemy  near  him." 

''Lykon?"  thought  Samentu.  "Ah,  that  Greek  who  is  like 
the  pharaoh.  What  do  I  see?  Mefres  has  brought  him!  " 

At  this  moment  the  sleeping  Greek  rushed  forward  and 
stopped  at  the  column  behind  which  Samentu  was  hidden. 
The  armed  men  ran  after  him,  and  the  gleam  of  their  torches 
threw  light  on  the  dark  figure  of  Samentu. 

"Who  is  here?"  cried,  with  a  hoarse  voice,  the  leader. 

Samentu  stood  forth.  The  sight  of  him  made  such  a  pow 
erful  impression  that  the  torch-bearers  withdrew.  He  might 
have  passed  out  between  them,  so  terrified  were  they,  and  no 
one  would  have  detained  him;  but  the  priest  thought  no  longer 
of  rescue. 

"Well,  has  my  man  with  second  sight  been  mistaken?" 
said  Mefres,  pointing  at  his  victim.  "There  is  the  traitor!  " 

Samentu  approached  him  with  a  smile,  and  said,  — 

"I  recognize  thee  by  that  cry,  Mefres.  When  thou  canst 
not  be  a  cheat,  thou  art  merely  an  idiot." 

Those  present  were  astounded.  Samentu  spoke  with  calm 
irony. 

"Though  it  is  true  that  at  this  moment  thou  art  both  cheat 
and  fool.  A  cheat,  for  thou  art  trying  to  persuade  the  over 
seers  of  the  labyrinth  that  this  villain  has  the  gift  of  second 
sight;  and  a  fool,  for  thou  thinkest  that  they  believe  thee. 
Better  tell  them  that  in  the  temple  of  Ptah  there  are  detailed 
plans  of  the  labyrinth." 


656  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"That  is  a  lie!  "  cried  Mefres. 

"Ask  those  men  whom  they  believe:  thee,  or  me?  I  am 
here  because  I  found  plans  in  the  temple  of  Set;  thou  hast 
come  by  the  grace  of  the  immortal  Ptah,"  concluded  Sarnentu, 
laughing. 

"Bind  that  traitor  and  liar!  "  cried  Mefres. 

Samentu  moved  back  a  couple  of  steps,  drew  forth  quickly 
from  under  his  garment  a  vial,  and  said,  while  raising  it  to  his 
lips,  - 

"Mefres,  thou  wilt  be  an  idiot  till  death.  Thou  hast  wit 
only  when  it  is  a  question  of  money." 

He  placed  the  vial  between  his  lips  and  fell  to  the  pavement. 

The  armed  men  rushed  to  the  priest  and  raised  him,  but  he 
had  slipped  through  their  fingers  already. 

"Let  him  stay  here,  like  others,"  said  the  overseer  of  the 
labyrinth. 

The  whole  retinue  left  the  hall  and  closed  the  open  doors 
carefully.  Soon  they  issued  forth  from  the  edifice. 

When  the  worthy  Mefres  found  himself  in  the  court  he  com 
manded  the  priests  to  make  ready  the  mounted  litters,  and 
rode  away  with  the  sleeping  Lykon  to  Memphis. 

The  overseers  of  the  labyrinth,  dazed  by  the  uncommon 
events,  looked  now  at  one  another,  and  now  at  the  escort  of 
Mefres,  which  was  disappearing  in  a  yellow  dust  cloud. 

"1  cannot  believe,"  said  the  chief  overseer,  "that  in  our 
days  there  was  a  man  who  could  break  into  the  labyrinth." 

"Your  worthiness  forgets  that  this  day  there  were  three 
such,"  interrupted  one  of  the  younger  priests  looking  askance 
at  him. 

"A  —  a  —  true!"  answered  the  high  priest.  "Have  the 
gods  disturbed  my  reason?"  said  he,  rubbing  his  forehead 
and  pressing  the  amulet  on  his  breast. 

"And  two  have  fled,"  added  the  younger  priest. 

"Why  didst  thou  not  turn  my  attention  to  that  in  the  laby 
rinth?"  burst  out  the  superior. 

"I  did  not  know  that  things  would  turn  out  as  they  have." 

"Woe  is  on  my  head!"  cried  the  high  priest.  "Not  chief 
should  I  be  at  this  edifice,  but  gatekeeper.  We  were  warned 
that  some  one  was  stealing  in,  but  now  we  have  let  out  two  of 


THE   PHARAOH  AND   THE   PRIEST  657 

the  most  dangerous,  who  will  bring  now  whomever  it  may 
please  them  —  O  woe!" 

"Thou  hast  no  need,  worthiness,  to  despair,"  said  another 
priest.  "Our  law  is  explicit.  Send  four  or  six  of  our  men  to 
Memphis,  and  provide  them  with  sentences.  The  rest  will  be 
their  work." 

"I  have  lost  my  reason,"  complained  the  high  priest. 

"What  has  happened  is  over,"  interrupted  the  young  priest, 
with  irony.  "One  thing  is  certain:  that  men  who  not  only 
reach  the  vaults,  but  even  walk  through  them  as  through  their 
own  houses,  may  not  live." 

"Then  select  six  from  our  militia." 

"Of  course!  It  is  necessary  to  end  this,"  confirmed  the 
overseers. 

"Who  knows  if  Mefres  did  not  act  in  concert  with  the  most 
worthy  Herhor?"  whispered  some  one. 

"Enough!  "  exclaimed  the  high  priest.  "If  we  find  Herhor 
in  the  labyrinth  we  will  act  as  the  law  directs.  But  to  make 
guesses,  or  suspect  any  one  is  not  permitted.  Let  the  secre 
taries  prepare  sentences  for  Mefres  and  Lykon.  Let  those 
chosen  hurry  after  them,  and  let  the  militia  strengthen  the 
watch.  We  must  also  examine  the  interior  of  the  edifice  and 
discover  how  Samentu  got  into  it,  though  I  am  sure  that  he 
will  have  no  followers  in  the  near  future." 

A  couple  of  hours  later  six  men  had  set  out  for  Memphis. 


CHAPTER   LXIV 

ON  the  eighteenth  day  of  Paofi  chaos  had  begun.     Com 
munication  was  interrupted  between  Lower  and  Upper 
Egypt;  commerce  had  ceased;  on  the  Nile  moved  only  boats 
on  guard,  the  roads  were  occupied  by  troops  marching  toward 
those  cities  which  contained  the  most  famous  temples. 

Only  the  laborers  of  the  priests  were  at  work  in  the  fields. 
On  the  estates  of  nobles  and  nomarchs,  but  especially  of  the 
pliaraoh,  flax  was  unpulled,  clover  uncut;  there  was  no  one  to 
gather  in  grapes.  The  common  people  did  nothing  but  prowl 
about  in  bands;  they  sang,  ate,  drank,  and  threatened  either 

42 


658  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

priests  or  Phoenicians.  In  the  cities  all  shops  were  closed, 
and  the  artisans  who  had  lost  their  occupation  counselled 
whole  days  over  the  reconstruction  of  Egypt.  This  offensive 
spectacle  was  no  novelty,  but  it  appeared  in  such  threatening 
proportions  that  the  tax-gatherers,  and  even  the  judges  began 
to  hide,  especially  as  the  police  treated  all  offences  of  common 
men  very  mildly. 

One  thing  more  deserved  attention :  the  abundance  of  food 
and  wine.  In  dramshops  and  cook  houses,  especially  of  the 
Phoenicians,  as  well  in  Memphis  as  in  the  provinces,  whoso 
wished  might  eat  and  drink  what  he  pleased  at  a  very  low 
price,  or  for  nothing.  It  was  said  that  his  holiness  was  giv 
ing  his  people  a  feast  which  would  continue  a  whole  month  in 
every  case. 

Because  of  difficult  and  even  interrupted  communication  the 
cities  were  not  aware  of  what  was  happening  in  neighboring 
places.  Only  the  pharaoh,  or  still  better  the  priests,  knew  the 
general  condition  of  the  country. 

The  position  was  distinguished,  first  of  all,  by  a  break  be 
tween  Upper,  or  Theban,  and  Lower,  or  Memphian  Egypt. 
In  Thebes  partisans  of  the  priesthood  were  stronger,  in  Mem 
phis  adherents  of  the  pharaoh.  In  Thebes  people  said  that 
Rameses  XIII.  had  gone  mad,  and  wished  to  sell  Egypt  to 
Phoenicians;  in  Memphis  they  explained  that  the  priests 
wished  to  poison  the  pharaoh  and  bring  in  Assyrians.  The 
common  people,  as  well  in  the  north  as  the  south,  felt  an  in 
stinctive  attraction  toward  the  pharaoh.  But  the  force  of  the 
people  was  passive  and  tottering.  When  an  agitator  of  the 
government  spoke,  the  people  were  ready  to  attack  a  temple 
and  beat  priests,  but  when  a  procession  appeared  they  fell 
on  their  faces  and  were  timid  while  listening  to  accounts 
of  disasters  which  threatened  Egypt  in  that  very  month  of 
Paofi. 

The  terrified  nobles  and  nomarchs  had  assembled  at  Mem 
phis  to  implore  the  pharaoh  for  rescue  from  the  rebelling 
multitude.  But  since  Rameses  enjoined  on  them  patience, 
and  did  not  attack  the  rabble,  the  magnates  began  to  take 
counsel  with  the  adherents  of  the  priesthood. 

It  is  true  that  Herhor  was  silent,  or  enjoined  patience  also; 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  659 

but  other  high  priests  proved  to  the  nobles  that  Rameses  was 
a  maniac,  and  hinted  at  the  need  of  deposing  him. 

In  Memphis  itself  two  parties  were  facing  each  other.  The 
godless  who  drank,  made  an  uproar,  threw  mud  at  temples  and 
even  at  statues,  and  the  pious,  mainly  old  men  and  women 
who  prayed  on  the  streets,  prophesied  misfortune  aloud  and 
implored  all  the  divinities  for  rescue.  The  godless  committed 
outrages  daily;  each  day  among  the  pious  health  returned  to 
some  sick  man  or  cripple.  But  for  a  wonder  neither  party,  in 
spite  of  roused  passions,  worked  harm  on  the  other,  and  still 
greater  wonder  neither  party  resorted  to  violence,  which  came 
from  this,  that  each  was  disturbed  by  direction,  and  according 
to  plans  framed  in  higher  circles. 

The  pharaoh,  not  having  collected  all  his  troops  and  all  his 
proofs  against  the  priests,  did  not  give  the  order  yet  for  a 
final  attack  on  the  temples;  the  priests  seemed  waiting  for 
something.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  they  did  not  feel 
so  weak  as  in  the  first  moments  after  the  voting  by  delegates. 
Rameses  himself  became  thoughtful  when  men  reported  from 
every  side  that  people  on  the  lauds  of  the  priests  did  not  mix 
in  disturbances  at  all,  but  were  working. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  asked  the  pharaoh  of  himself. 
4 'Do  the  shaven  heads  think  that  I  dare  not  touch  temples,  or 
have  they  means  of  defence  quite  unknown  to  me?  " 

On  the  19th  of  Paofi  a  police  official  informed  Rameses  that 
the  night  before  people  had  begun  to  break  the  walls  inclosing 
the  temple  of  Horus. 

"Did  ye  command  them  to  do  that?"  inquired  the  pharaoh. 

"No.     They  began  of  their  own  accord." 

"Restrain  them  mildly  —  restrain  them,"  said  Rameses. 
"In  a  few  days  they  may  do  what  they  like.  But  now  let 
them  not  act  with  great  violence." 

Rameses,  as  a  leader  and  victor  at  the  Soda  Lakes,  knew 
that  once  men  attack  iu  a  multitude  nothing  has  power  to 
restrain  them ;  they  must  break  or  be  broken.  Unless  the 
temples  defend  themselves  the  multitude  will  take  them;  but 
if  they  defend  themselves?  In  that  case  the  people  will  flee 
and  there  will  be  need  to  send  warriors,  of  whom  there  were 
many  it  is  true,  but  not  so  many  as  would  be  needed,  accord- 


660  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ing  to  the  pharaoh's  own  reckoning.  Moreover,  Hiram  had 
not  returned  from  Pi-Bast  yet  with  letters  proving  the  treason 
of  Mefres  and  Hcrhor.  And  what  was  more  important,  the 
priests  who  sided  with  the  pharaoh  were  to  assist  the  troops 
only  on  Paofi  23d.  By  what  means  then  could  he  forewarn 
them  in  temples  which  were  so  numerous  and  so  distant  from 
one  another?  And  did  not  caution  itself  command  him  to 
avoid  relations  wrhich  might  betray  them? 

For  these  reasons  Rameses  did  not  wish  an  earlier  attack  on 
the  temples. 

Meanwhile  the  disturbance  increased  in  spite  of  the  pharaoh. 
Near  the  temple  of  Isis  a  number  of  pious  persons  were  slain 
who  predicted  misfortune  to  Egypt,  or  who  had  recovered 
their  health  by  a  miracle.  Near  the  temple  of  Ptah  the  mul 
titude  rushed  on  a  procession,  struck  down  the  priests,  and 
broke  the  holy  boat  in  which  the  god  was  advancing.  Almost 
at  the  same  time  messengers  flew  in  from  the  cities  of  Sochem 
and  Anu  with  news  that  people  were  breaking  into  the  temples, 
and  that  in  Cherau  they  had  even  broken  in  and  desecrated  the 
most  holy  places. 

Toward  evening  a  deputation  of  priests  came,  almost  by 
stealth,  to  the  palace  of  his  holiness ;  the  revered  prophets  fell 
at  his  feet,  weeping,  crying  out  to  him  to  defend  the  gods  and 
their  sanctuaries. 

This  altogether  unexpected  event  filled  the  heart  of  Rameses 
writh  great  delight  and  still  greater  pride.  He  commanded  the 
delegates  to  rise,  and  answered  graciously  that  his  regiments 
would  be  always  ready  to  defend  the  temples  when  conducted 
into  them. 

UI  have  no  doubt,"  said  he,  "that  the  rioters  themselves 
will  withdraw  when  they  see  the  dwellings  of  the  gods  occupied 
by  the  army.'* 

The  delegates  hesitated. 

"It  is  known  to  thee,  holiness,"  answered  the  chief,  "that 
the  army  may  not  enter  the  inclosure  of  a  temple.  We  must 
ask,  therefore,  what  the  high  priests  have  to  say." 

"Very  well,  take  counsel,"  answered  the  sovereign.  "I 
cannot  perform  miracles,  and  I  cannot  defend  temples  from  a 
distance." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  661 

The  saddened  delegates  left  the  pharaoh,  who  after  their 
departure  summoned  a  confidential  council.  He  was  con 
vinced  that  the  priests  would  yield  to  his  will,  and  it  did  not 
even  occur  to  him  that  the  delegation  itself  was  a  trick  ar 
ranged  by  Herhor  to  lead  him  into  error. 

When  the  civil  and  military  officials  had  assembled  in  the 
pharaoh's  chamber  Rameses  began,  — 

"I  thought,"  said  he,  proudly,  "to  occupy  the  temples  of 
Memphis  only  on  the  23d,  but  I  consider  it  better  to  do  so 
to-morrow." 

"Our  troops  have  not  assembled  yet,"  objected  Tutmosis. 

"And  we  have  not  Herhor' s  letters  to  Assyria,"  added  the 
chief  scribe. 

"Never  mind!"  answered  the  pharaoh.  "Proclaim  to 
morrow  that  Herhor  and  Mefres  are  traitors,  and  we  will  show 
the  nomarchs  and  priests  the  proofs  three  days  later  when 
Hiram  returns  from  Pi-Bast  to  us." 

"Thy  new  command,  holiness,  will  change  the  first  one 
greatly,"  said  Tutmosis.  "We  shall  not  occupy  the  labyrinth 
to-morrow.  If  the  temples  in  Memphis  make  bold  to  resist, 
we  have  not  even  rams  to  break  down  the  gates." 

"Tutmosis,"  answered  the  pharaoh,  "I  might  not  explain 
my  commands,  but  I  wish  to  convince  thee  that  my  heart 
estimates  the  course  of  events  more  profoundly.  If  people 
attack  the  temples  to-day  they  will  wish  to  break  into  them 
to-morrow.  Unless  we  support  them  they  will  be  repulsed, 
and  will  be  discouraged  in  every  case  from  deeds  of  daring. 
The  priests  send  a  delegation  to-day,  hence  they  are  weak. 
Meanwhile  the  number  of  their  adherents  among  the  common 
people  may  be  greater  some  days  hence.  Enthusiasm  and 
fear  are  like  wine  in  a  pitcher;  it  decreases  in  proportion  as 
it  is  poured  out,  and  only  he  can  drink  who  puts  his  goblet 
under  in  season.  If  the  people  are  ready  to  attack  to-day  and 
the  enemy  is  frightened,  let  us  make  use  of  the  situation., 
for,  as  I  say,  luck  may  leave  us  in  a  few  days,  or  may  turn 
against  us." 

"And  provisions  will  be  exhausted,"  added  the  treasurer. 
"In  three  days  the  people  must  return  to  work,  for  we  shall 
not  have  the  wherewithal  to  feed  them. " 


662  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE    PRIEST 

"Oh,  seest  thou,"  continued  the  pharaoh  to  Tutmosis.  "I 
myself  have  commanded  the  chief  of  police  to  restrain  the 
people.  But  it  is  impossible  to  restrain  them,  we  must  make 
a  movement.  An  experienced  sailor  struggles  neither  with 
wind  nor  current,  but  he  lets  them  bear  him  in  the  direction 
which  they  have  taken." 

At  this  moment  a  courier  came  in  with  news  that  the  people 
had  fallen  upon  foreigners.  They  had  assaulted  Greeks, 
Assyrians,  but  especially  Phoenicians.  They  had  plundered 
many  shops  and  slain  a  number  of  persons. 

"Here  is  proof,"  cried  the  excited  pharaoh,  "that  we  should 
not  turn  a  crowd  from  the  road  it  has  taken.  Let  the  troops 
be  near  the  temples  to-morrow,  and  let  them  march  in  if  the 
people  begin  to  burst  into  them,  or  —  or  if  they  begin  to  with 
draw  under  pressure. 

"It  is  true  that  grapes  should  be  gathered  in  the  month 
Paofi;  but  is  there  a  gardener,  who  if  his  fruit  were  ripe  a 
month  earlier,  would  leave  it  on  the  vines  to  wither? 

"I  repeat  this:  I  wished  to  delay  the  movement  of  the 
people  till  we  had  finished  preparations.  But  if  it  is  im 
possible  to  delay,  let  us  raise  our  sails  and  use  the  wind 
which  is  blowing.  Ye  must  arrest  Herhor  and  Mefres  to 
morrow  and  bring  them  to  the  palace.  In  a  few  days  we  will 
finish  with  the  labyrinth." 

The  members  of  the  council  recognized  that  the  decision 
of  the  pharaoh  was  proper,  and  they  departed  admiring  his 
promptness  and  wisdom.  Even  generals  declared  that  it  was 
better  to  use  the  .occasion  at  hand  than  to  have  forces  ready 
when  the  time  had  passed  in  which  to  use  them. 

It  was  night.  Another  courier  rushed  in  from  Memphis 
with  information  that  the  police  had  been  able  to  protect 
foreigners,  but  that  the  people  were  excited  and  it  was  un 
known  what  they  might  attempt  on  the  morrow. 

Thenceforth  courier  arrived  after  courier.  Some  brought 
news  that  a  great  mass  of  men  armed  with  clubs  and  axes 
were  moving  toward  Memphis  from  every  direction.  From 
somewhere  else  information  came  that  people  in  the  region  of 
Peme,  Sochem,  and  On,  were  fleeing  to  the  fields  and  crying 
that  the  end  of  the  world  would  come  the  day  following. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  6G3 

Another  courier  brought  a  letter  from  Hiram  that  he  would 
arrive  very  soon.  Another  announced  the  stealthy  advance  of 
temple  regiments  to  Memphis,  and,  what  was  more  important, 
that  from  Upper  Egypt  were  moving  strong  divisions  of 
people  and  troops  hostile  to  the  Phoenicians,  and  even  to  his 
holiness. 

"Before  they  arrive,"  thought  the  pharaoh,  "I  shall  have  the 
high  priests  in  my  hands  and  even  the  regiments  of  Nitager  — 
now  some  days  late  in  arriving." 

Finally  information  was  brought  that  troops  had  seized  here 
and  there  on  the  highways,  disguised  priests  who  were  trying 
to  reach  the  palace  of  his  holiness,  no  doubt  with  evil 
purpose. 

"Bring  them  here,"  answered  Rameses,  laughing.  "I  wish 
to  see  men  who  dare  to  form  evil  plans  against  the  pharaoh." 

About  midnight  the  revered  queen,  Nikotris,  desired  an 
audience  of  his  holiness. 

The  worthy  lady  was  pale  and  trembling.  She  commanded 
the  officers  to  leave  the  pharaoh's  chamber,  and  when  alone 
with  her  son  she  said,  weeping,  — 

"My  son,  I  bring  thee  very  bad  omens." 

"I  should  prefer,  queen,  to  hear  accurate  information  of  the 
strength  and  intention  of  my  enemies." 

"This  evening  the  statue  of  the  divine  Isis  in  my  chapel 
turned  its  face  to  the  wall,  and  water  became  blood-red  in  the 
sacred  cistern." 

"That  proves,"  replied  the  pharaoh,  "that  there  are  traitors 
in  the  palace.  But  they  are  not  very  dangerous  if  they  are 
able  only  to  defile  water  and  turn  statues  back  forward." 

"All  our  servants,"  continued  the  queen,  "all  the  people  are 
convinced  that  if  thy  army  enters  the  temples,  great  misfortune 
will  fall  upon  Egypt." 

"A  greater  misfortune,"  said  the  pharaoh,  "is  the  insolence 
of  the  priesthood.  Admitted  by  my  ever-living  father  to  the 
palace,  they  think  to-day  that  they  have  become  its  owners. 
But  by  the  gods,  what  shall  I  become  at  last  in  presence  of 
their  all-mightiness?  And  shall  I  not  be  free  to  claim  my 
rights  as  a  sovereign  ?  " 

"At   least  —  at   least,"   said  the   lady  after   a  while,   "be 


664  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

gracious.  Yes,  thou  must  claim  thy  rights,  but  do  not  permit 
thy  soldiers  to  violate  holy  places  and  do  injustice  to  the 
priesthood.  Remember  that  the  gracious  gods  send  down 
delight  on  Egypt,  and  the  priests  in  spite  of  their  errors  (who 
is  without  them)  have  rendered  incomparable  services  to  this 
country.  Only  think,  if  thou  shouldest  impoverish  and  dis 
miss  them,  thou  wouldst  destroy  wisdom  which  has  raised  our 
kingdom  above  all  others." 

The  pharaoh  took  his  mother  by  both  hands,  kissed  her,  and 
replied,  smiling,  — 

"Women  must  always  exaggerate.  Thou  art  speaking  to 
me,  mother,  as  if  I  were  the  chief  of  wild  Hyksos,  and  not  a 
pharaoh.  Do  I  wish  injustice  to  the  priests?  Do  I  hate  their 
wisdom,  even  such  barren  wisdom  as  that  of  investigating  the 
course  of  the  stars  which  move  in  the  heavens  without  our  aid, 
and  do  not  enrich  us  one  uten?  Neither  their  wisdom  nor 
their  piety  troubles  me,  but  the  wretchedness  of  Egypt,  which 
within  is  growing  weak  from  hunger,  and  without  is  afraid  of 
any  threat  from  Assyria.  Meanwhile  the  priests,  in  spite  of 
their  wisdom,  not  merely  do  not  wish  to  help  me  in  my 
measures,  but  they  present  resistance  in  the  most  dangerous 
manner. 

"Let  me,  mother,  convince  them  that  not  they,  but  I  am  the 
master  of  my  own  heritage.  I  should  not  be  able  to  take 
revenge  on  the  submissive,  but  I  will  trample  on  the  necks  of 
the  insolent. 

"They  know  this,  but  still  do  not  trust,  and — •  with  a  lack 
of  real  power  —  they  wish  to  frighten  me  by  declaring  some 
misfortune.  That  is  their  last  resource  and  weapon.  When 
they  understand  that  I  do  not  fear  their  terrors  they  will  sub 
mit.  And  then  not  a  stone  will  fall  from  their  temples,  or  one 
ring  be  lost  from  their  treasures. 

"I  know  those  men!  To-day  they  put  on  a  great  front,  for 
I  am  far  from  them.  But  when  I  stretch  out  a  bronze  fist  they 
will  fall  on  their  faces,  and  all  this  confusion  will  end  in 
general  prosperity  and  contentment." 

The  queen  embraced  his  feet  and  went  out  comforted, 
imploring  him,  however,  to  respect  the  gods  and  spare  their 
servants. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  665 

After  the  departure  of  his  mother  he  summoned  Tutmosis. 

"To-morrow,"  said  the  pharaoh,  "my  troops  will  occupy  the 
temples.  But  tell  the  commanders  of  regiments,  let  them  know 
that  it  is  my  will,  that  the  holy  places  must  be  inviolate,  and 
that  no  one  is  to  raise  a  hand  on  any  priest  in  Egypt." 

"Even  on  Mefres  and  Herhor?"  inquired  Tutmosis. 

"Even  on  them.  They  will  be  punished  enough  when  they 
are  put  out  of  their  present  positions ;  they  will  live  in  learned 
temples  to  pray  and  investigate  wisdom  without  hindrance." 

"It  will  be  as  thou  commandest,  holiness  —  though  — 

Rameses  raised  his  finger  in  sign  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
hear  arguments.  And  then,  to  change  the  conversation,  he 
said,  with  a  smile,  — 

"Dost  thou  remember,  Tutmosis,  the  manoeuvres  at  Pi- 
Bailos?  Two  years  have  passed.  When  I  was  angry  then  at 
the  insolence  and  greed  of  the  priests,  couldst  thou  think  that 
I  should  reckon  with  them  so  early  ?  But  poor  Sarah  —  and 
my  little  son.  How  beautiful  he  was!  " 

Two  tears  rolled  down  the  pharaoh' s  cheeks. 

"Indeed,  if  I  were  not  a  son  of  the  gods,  who  are  magnani 
mous  and  merciful,  my  enemies  would  pass  through  grievous 
hours  to-morrow.  How  many  humiliations  have  they  put  on 
me!  How  often  have  my  eyes  grown  dark  from  weeping!  " 


CHAPTER   LXV 

ON  the  20th  of  Paofi  Memphis  looked  as  it  might  during 
a  great  solemn  festival.  All  occupations  had  ceased ; 
even  carriers  were  not  bearing  burdens.  The  whole  popula 
tion  had  come  out  on  the  streets,  or  had  collected  around  the 
temples,  —  mainly  around  the  temple  of  Ptah,  which  was  the 
best  defended,  and  where  the  spiritual  dignitaries  had  come 
together,  also  those  lay  officials  who  were  under  the  direction 
of  Herhor  and  Mefres. 

Near  the  temples  troops  were  posted  in  loose  rank,  so 
that  the  warriors  might  come  to  an  understanding  with  the 
populace. 

Among  the  common  people  and  the  army  circulated  many 


666  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

hucksters,  with  baskets  of  bread  and  with  pitchers  and  skin 
bags  in  which  there  was  wine.  They  entertained  free  of 
charge.  When  any  one  asked  them  why  they  took  no  pay, 
some  answered  that  his  holiness  was  entertaining  his  subjects, 
while  others  said,  — 

4 'Eat  and  drink,  right-believing  Egyptians,  for  it  is  un 
known  whether  we  shall  see  to-morrow !  " 

These  were  hucksters  in  the  service  of  the  priesthood. 

A  multitude  of  agents  were  circling  about.  Some  proved 
to  listeners  that  the  priests  were  rebelling  against  their  lord, 
and  even  wanted  to  poison  him,  because  he  had  promised  the 
seventh  day  for  rest.  Others  whispered  that  the  pharaoh  had 
gone  mad,  and  had  conspired  with  foreigners  to  destroy  the 
temples  and  Egypt.  The  first  encouraged  the  people  to  attack 
the  temples  where  the  priests  and  nomarchs  were  arranging  to 
oppress  laborers  and  artisans ;  the  others  expressed  fear  that 
if  the  people  attacked  the  temples  some  great  misfortune  might 
fall  on  them. 

Under  the  walls  of  Ptah  were  a  number  of  strong  beams, 
and  piles  of  stones  brought,  it  was  unknown  from  what 
quarter. 

The  serious  merchants  of  Memphis,  passing  among  the 
crowds,  had  no  doubt  that  the  popular  disturbance  was  called 
forth  artificially.  Inferior  scribes,  policemen,  overseers  of 
laborers,  and  disguised  decurions  denied  neither  their  official 
positions,  nor  this,  that  they  were  urging  the  people  to  occupy 
the  temples.  On  the  other  side  dissectors,  beggars,  temple 
servants  and  inferior  priests,  though  they  wished  to  conceal 
their  identity,  were  unable  to  do  so,  and  each  one  who  was 
endowed  with  perception  saw  that  they  were  urging  the  people 
to  violence.  The  thinking  citizens  of  Memphis  were  aston 
ished  at  this  action  of  partisans  of  the  priesthood,  and  the 
people  began  to  fall  away  from  their  zeal  of  yesterday.  Gen 
uine  Egyptians  could  not  understand  what  the  question  was, 
or  who  was  really  calling  forth  disturbance.  The  chaos  was 
increased  by  half-frenzied  zealots,  who,  running  about  the 
streets  naked,  wounded  themselves  till  the  blood  flowed,  and 
cried,  — 

4 'Woe  to  Egypt!     Impiety  has  passed  its  measure  and  the 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  667 

hour  of  judgment  is  corning!  O  gods  show  your  power  over 
the  insolence  of  injustice." 

The  troops  bore  themselves  calmly,  waiting  till  the  people 
should  break  into  the  temples.  For  an  order  to  that  effect  had 
come  from  the  palace;  and  on  the  other  the  officers  foresaw 
ambushes  in  the  temples,  and  preferred  that  men  of  the  crowd 
should  perish  rather  than  warriors,  who  would  be  sufficiently 
occupied  in  every  case. 

But  in  spite  of  the  shouts  of  agitators,  and  wine  given  for 
nothing,  the  crowd  hesitated.  Laborers  looked  at  the  arti 
sans;  the  artisans  and  all  were  waiting  for  something. 

Suddenly,  about  one  in  the  afternoon,  from  side  streets  a 
drunken  band  poured  forth  toward  the  temple  of  Ptah ;  it  was 
armed  with  poles  and  axes  and  was  made  up  of  fishermen, 
Greek  sailors,  shepherds,  and  Libyan  vagrants,  even  convicts 
from  the  quarries  in  Turra.  At  the  head  of  this  band  went  a 
laborer  of  gigantic  stature,  with  a  torch  in  his  hand.  He 
stood  before  the  gate  of  the  temple  and  cried  with  an  immense 
voice  to  the  people,— 

"Do  ye  know,  right  believers,  what  the  high  priests  and  the 
nomarchs  are  preparing  here?  They  wish  to  force  his  holi 
ness,  Rameses  XIII. ,  to  deprive  laborers  of  a  barley  cake  a 
day,  and  to  impose  new  taxes  on  the  people,  a  drachma  each 
man.  I  say,  then,  that  ye  are  committing  a  low  and  stupid 
deed  by  standing  here  with  your  arms  crossed.  We  must  catch 
these  temple  rats  at  last  and  give  them  into  the  hands  of  our 
lord,  the  pharaoh,  against  whom  these  godless  wretches  are 
conspiring.  If  our  lord  yields  to  priests,  who  will  take  the 
part  of  honest  people?" 

"He  speaks  truth!  "  called  out  voices  from  the  multitude. 

"Our  lord  will  command  to  give  us  the  seventh  day  for  rest." 

"And  will  give  us  land." 

"He  had  compassion  always  for  the  common  people.  Re 
member  how  he  freed  those  who,  two  years  ago,  were  under 
judgment  for  attacking  the  house  of  the  Jewess." 

"I  myself  saw  him  beat  a  scribe,  when  the  man  was  drag 
ging  an  unjust  tax  from  laborers." 

"May  he  live  through  eternity,  our  lord,  Rameses  XIII. ,  the 
guardian  of  oppressed  laborers !  " 


668  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"But  look!"  called  out  some  voice  from  afar,  "the  cattle 
are  coming  from  pasture,  as  if  evening  were  near." 

"What  cattle!     Go  on  against  the  priests!  " 

"Hei,  ye!"  cried  the  giant  at  the  temple  gate.  "Open  to 
us  of  your  own  will,  so  that  we  may  know  what  the  high  priests 
and  the  nomarchs  are  counselling !  " 

"Open,  or  we  will  break  the  gate! " 

"A  wonderful  thing,"  said  people  from  afar;  "the  birds  are 
going  to  sleep.  But  it  is  only  midday." 

"Something  evil  has  happened  in  the  air!  " 

"O  gods,  night  is  coming,  and  I  haven't  pulled  salad  for 
dinner,"  said  some  girl. 

But  these  remarks  were  drowned  by  the  uproar  of  the  drunken 
band,  and  the  noise  of  beams  striking  the  bronze  gate  of  the 
temple.  If  the  crowd  had  been  less  occupied  with  the  violent 
deeds  of  the  attackers,  they  would  have  seen  that  something 
unusual  was  happening  in  nature.  The  sun  was  shining,  there 
was  not  one  cloud  in  the  sky,  and  still  the  brightness  of  the 
day  had  begun  to  decrease  and  there  was  a  breath  of  coolness. 

"Give  us  another  beam!  "  cried  the  attackers  of  the  temple. 
"The  gate  is  giving  way! " 

"Powerfully!     Once  more!" 

The  crowd  looking  on  roared  like  a  tempest.  Here  and 
there  men  began  to  separate  from  the  throng  and  join  the 
attackers.  At  last  a  whole  mass  of  people  pushed  slowly 
toward  the  temple. 

Though  but  just  past  midday,  gloom  increased.  In  the 
gardens  of  the  temple  the  cocks  began  to  crow.  But  the  rage 
of  the  throng  was  so  great  now  that  few  noticed  the  change. 

"Look  ye!  "  cried  some  beggar.  "Behold  the  day  of  judg 
ment  is  coming  —  O  gods  — 

He  wished  to  speak  on,  but  struck  on  the  head  by  a  club  he 
fell  prostrate. 

On  the  walls  of  the  temple  naked  but  armed  figures  began 
to  climb  up.  Officers  called  the  warriors  to  arms,  certain  that 
soon  they  would  have  to  support  the  attack  of  the  multitude. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  whispered  warriors,  looking  at 
the  sky.  "There  is  not  a  cloud,  still  the  world  looks  as  it 
does  in  the  time  of  a  tempest." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  669 

"Strike!  break!  "  shouted  men  near  the  temple. 

The  sound  of  beams  was  more  and  more  frequent. 

At  that  moment  on  the  terrace  above  the  gate  appeared 
Herhor.  He  was  surrounded  by  a  retinue  of  priests  and  civil 
dignitaries.  The  most  worthy  high  priest  was  in  a  golden 
robe,  and  wore  the  cap  of  Amenhotep  with  its  regal  serpent. 

Herhor  looked  at  the  enormous  masses  of  people  who  sur 
rounded  the  temple,  and  bending  toward  the  baud  of  storrners, 
he  said  to  them,  — 

"Whoever  ye  are,  right  believers  or  unbelievers,  leave  this 
temple  in  peace,  in  the  name  of  the  gods  I  summon  you." 

The  uproar  of  the  people  ceased  suddenly,  and  only  the 
pounding  of  the  beams  against  the  bronze  gate  was  audible. 
But  soon  even  that  ceased. 

"Open  the  gate!"  cried  the  giant  from  below.  "We  wish 
to  see  if  ye  are  forging  treason  against  the  pharaoh." 

"My  son,"  replied  Herhor,  "fall  on  thy  face  and  implore  the 
gods  to  forgive  thee  thy  sacrilege." 

"Ask  thou  the  gods  to  shield  thee!  "  cried  the  leader  of  the 
band,  and  taking  a  stone  he  threw  it  toward  the  high  priest. 

At  the  same  time,  from  a  window  of  the  pylon  shot  out  a 
small  stream  which  seemed  to  be  water,  and  which  struck  the 
giant's  face.  The  bandit  tottered,  threw  up  his  hands,  and 
fell. 

Those  nearest  him  gave  out  a  cry  of  fear,  whereupon  the 
farther  ranks,  not  seeing  what  had  happened,  answered  with 
laughter  and  curses. 

"Break  down  the  gate!"  was  heard  from  the  end  of  the 
crowd,  and  a  volley  of  stones  flew  in  the  direction  of  Herhor 
and  his  retinue. 

Herhor  raised  both  hands,  and  when  the  crowd  had  grown 
silent  again  the  high  priest  shouted,  — 

"O  gods!  into  your  protection  I  give  these  sacred  retreats, 
against  which  blasphemers  and  traitors  are  advancing! ' 

A  moment  later,  somewhere  above  the  temple,  an  unearthly 
voice  was  heard,  — 

"  I  TURN  MY  FACE  FROM  THE  ACCURSED  PEOPLE  AND  MAY 
DARKNESS  FALL  ON  THE  EARTH." 

Then  a  dreadful  thing  happened :  as  the  voice  rose  the  sun 


670  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

decreased,  and  with  the  last  word  there  was  darkness  as  at 
night,  Stars  began  to  shine  in  the  heavens;  instead  of  the 
sun  was  a  black  disk  surrounded  with  a  thin  hoop  of 
flame. 

An  immense  cry  was  rent  from  a  hundred  thousand  breasts. 
Those  who  were  storming  the  gate  threw  down  their  beams; 
common  people  fell  to  the  earth. 

"Oh,  the  day  of  punishment  and  death  has  come!  "  cried  a 
shrill  voice  at  the  end  of  the  street. 

"O  gods  of  mercy!  O  holy  men,  ward  off  this  terror!" 
cried  the  crowd. 

44  WOE  TO  ARMIES  WHICH  CARRY  OUT  THE  ORDERS  OF  GOD 
LESS  COMMANDERS  !  "  cried  a  great  voice  from  the  temple. 

In  answer  all  the  people  fell  on  their  faces,  and  confusion 
rose  in  the  two  regiments  standing  before  the  temple.  The 
ranks  broke,  warriors  threw  down  their  weapons  and  ran 
toward  the  river  insensate.  Some,  rushing  like  blind  men, 
knocked  against  the  walls  of  houses  in  the  darkness;  others 
fell  to  the  ground  and  were  trampled  to  death  by  their  com 
rades.  In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes,  instead  of  close 
columns  of  warriors,  on  the  square,  spears  and  axes  lay  scat 
tered  about,  and  at  the  entrance  of  the  streets  were  piles  of 
dead  and  wounded. 

"O  gods!  O  gods!"  groaned  and  cried  the  people,  "take 
pity  on  the  innocent." 

"Osiris!  "  cried  Herhor  from  the  terrace,  "have  compassion 
and  show  thy  face  to  the  unfortunate  people." 

"AT    LAST    I    HEAR    THE    PRAYERS    OF     MY    PRIESTS,    FOR    I    AM 

COMPASSIONATE,"  answered  the  supernatural  voice  from  the 
temple. 

At  that  moment  the  darkness  began  to  disappear,  and  the 
sun  to  regain  its  brightness. 

A  new  shout,  new  weeping,  and  new  prayers  were  heard  in 
the  throng.  The  people,  drunk  with  delight,  greeted  the  sun 
which  had  risen  from  the  dead.  Men  unknown  to  one  another 
embraced,  some  persons  died,  and  all  crawled  on  their  knees 
to  kiss  the  sacred  walls  of  the  temple. 

Above  the  gate  stood  the  most  worthy  Herhor,  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  sky,  and  two  priests  supporting  his  holy  hands 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  671 

with  which  he  had  dissipated  darkness,  and  saved  his  people 
from  destruction. 

Scenes  of  the  same  kind  with  certain  changes  took  place 
throughout  all  Lower  Egypt.  In  each  city  on  the  20th  of 
Paofi  people  had  collected  from  early  morning.  In  each  city 
about  midday  some  band  was  storming  a  sacred  gate.  About 
one  the  high  priest  of  the  temple,  with  a  retinue,  cursed  the 
faithless  attackers  and  produced  darkness.  But  when  the 
throng  fled  in  panic,  or  fell  on  the  ground,  the  high  priest 
prayed  to  Osiris  to  show  his  face,  and  then  the  light  of  day 
returned  to  the  earth  again. 

In  this  way,  thanks  to  the  eclipse  of  the  sun,  the  party  of 
the  priests,  full  of  wisdom,  had  shaken  the  importance  of 
Rameses  XIII.  in  Lower  Egypt. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  the  government  of  the 
pharaoh  had  come,  even  without  knowing  it,  to  the  brink  of  a 
precipice.  Only  great  wisdom  could  save  it,  and  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  situation.  But  that  was  lacking  in  the 
pharaoh' s  palace,  where  the  all-powerful  reign  of  chance  had 
set  in  at  that  critical  moment. 

On  the  20th  of  Paofi  his  holiness  rose  exactly  at  sunrise, 
and,  to  be  nearer  the  scene  of  action,  he  transferred  himself 
from  the  main  palace  to  a  villa  which  was  hardly  an  hour's 
distance  from  Memphis.  On  one  side  of  this  villa  were  the 
barracks  of  the  Asiatic  troops,  on  the  other  the  villa  of 
Tutmosis  and  his  wife,  the  beautiful  Hebron.  With  their  lord 
came  the  dignitaries  faithful  to  Rameses,  and  the  first  regiment 
of  the  guard  in  which  the  pharaoh  felt  unbounded  reliance. 

Rameses  was  in  perfect  humor.  He  bathed,  ate  with 
appetite,  and  began  to  hear  the  reports  of  couriers  who  flew  in 
from  Memphis  every  fifteen  minutes. 

Their  reports  were  monotonous  to  weariness:  The  high 
priests  and  some  of  the  nomarchs,  under  the  leadership  of 
Herhor  and  Mefres,  had  shut  themselves  up  in  the  temple  of 
Ptah.  The  army  was  full  of  hope,  and  the  people  excited. 
All  were  blessing  the  pharaoh,  and  waiting  the  order  to  move 
on  the  temple. 

When  the  fourth  courier  came  about  nine,  and  repeated  the 
same  words,  the  pharaoh  was  frowning. 


672  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"What  are  they  waiting  for?  "  asked  he.  "Let  them  attack 
immediately." 

The  courier  answered  that  the  chief  band  which  was  to 
attack  and  batter  down  the  bronze  gate  had  not  arrived 
yet. 

This  explanation  displeased  the  pharaoh.  He  shook  his 
head,  and  sent  an  officer  to  Memphis  to  hasten  the  attack. 

"What  does  this  delay  mean?"  asked  he.  "I  thought  that 
my  army  would  waken  me  with  news  of  the  capture  of  the 
temple.  In  such  cases  prompt  action  is  the  condition  of 
success." 

The  officer  rode  away,  but  nothing  had  changed  at  the 
temple  of  Ptah.  The  people  were  waiting  for  something,  but 
the  chief  band  was  not  in  its  place  yet.  Some  other  will 
seemed  to  delay  the  execution  of  the  order. 

About  ten  the  litter  of  Queen  Nikotris  came  to  the  villa 
occupied  by  the  pharaoh.  The  revered  lady  broke  into  her 
son's  chamber  almost  with  violence,  and  fell  at  his  feet, 
weeping. 

"What  dost  thou  wish  of  me,  mother?"  asked  Rameses, 
hardly  hiding  his  impatience.  "Hast  thou  forgotten  that  the 
camp  is  no  place  for  women?  " 

"I  will  not  leave  thee  to-day,  I  will  not  leave  thee  for  an 
instant!  "  exclaimed  the  queen.  "Thou  art  the  son  of  Isis,  it 
is  true,  and  she  surrounds  thee  with  care.  But  I  should  die 
from  fright." 

"What  threatens  me?"  inquired  the  pharaoh,  shrugging  his 
shoulders. 

"The  priest  who  investigates  the  stars,"  said  she,  tear 
fully,  "declared  to  a  serving  woman  that  thou  wilt  live  and 
reign  a  hundred  years  if  this  day  favors  thee." 

"Ah!     Where  is  that  man  who  is  skilled  in  my  fate?" 

"He  fled  to  Memphis,"  replied  the  lady. 

Rameses  thought  a  while,  then  he  said,  smiling,  — 

"As  the  Libyans  at  the  Soda  Lakes  hurled  missiles  at  us, 
the  priests  hurl  threats  to-day.  Be  calm,  mother!  Talk  is 
less  dangerous  than  stones  and  arrows." 

From  Memphis  a  new  courier  rushed  in  with  a  report  that 
all  was  well,  but  still  the  main  band  was  not  ready. 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  673 

On  the  comely  face  of  the  pharaoh  appeared  signs  of  anger. 
Wishing  to  calm  the  sovereign,  Tutmosis  said  to  him,  — 

"The  people  are  not  an  army*  They  know  not  how  to  as 
semble  at  a  given  hour;  while  marching  they  stretch  out  like 
a  swamp,  and  obey  no  commands*  If  the  occupation  of  the 
temples  were  committed  to  regiments  they  would  be  in  posses 
sion  at  present." 

"What  art  thou  saying,  Tutmosis?"  cried  the  queen. 
"Where  has  any  one  heard  of  Egyptian  troops  — 

"Thou  hast  forgotten,"  interrupted  Rameses,  "that  accord 
ing  to  my  commands  the  troops  were  not  to  attack,  but  defend 
the  temples  from  attacks  of  the  people." 

"Action  is  delayed  through  this  also,"  answered  Tutmosis, 
impatiently. 

"O  counsellors  of  the  pharaoh!"  burst  out  the  queen. 
"Your  lord  acts  wisely,  appearing  as  a  defender  of  the  gods, 
and  ye,  instead  of  making  him  milder,  urge  him  to  violence." 

The  blood  rushed  to  Tutmosis'  head.  Fortunately  an  adju 
tant  called  him  from  the  chamber  with  information  that  at  the 
gate  was  an  old  man  who  wished  to  speak  with  his  holiness. 

"To-day  each  man  is  struggling  to  get  at  the  pharaoh,  as  he 
might  at  the  keeper  of  a  dramshop,"  muttered  the  adjutant. 

Tutmosis  thought  that  in  the  time  of  Rameses  XII.  no  one 
would  have  dared  to  speak  of  the  ruler  in  that  way.  But  he 
feigned  not  to  hear. 

The  old  man  whom  the  watch  had  detained  was  Prince 
Hiram.  He  wore  a  soldier's  mantle  covered  with  dust;  he 
was  irritated  and  wearied. 

Tutmosis  commanded  to  admit  him,  and  when  both  were  in 
the  garden,  he  said  to  him,  — 

"I  judge  that  thou  wilt  bathe,  worthiness,  and  change  thy 
dress  before  I  obtain  an  audience  with  his  holiness?" 

Hiram  raised  his  iron-gray  brows,  and  his  bloodshot  eyes 
became  bloodier. 

"From  what  I  have  seen,"  said  he  firmly,  "I  may  even  not 
ask  for  an  audience.'* 

"Hast  thou  the  letters  of  the  high  priest  to  Assyria?  " 

"What  good  are  those  letters,  since  ye  have  agreed  with  the 
priests?" 

43 


674  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"What  dost  thou  say,  worthiness?"  inquired  Tutmosis, 
starting. 

"I  know  what  I  say!  "  replied  Hiram.  "Ye  have  obtained 
tens  of  thousands  of  talents  from  the  Phoenicians,  as  it  were 
for  the  liberation  of  Egypt  from  the  power  of  the  priesthood, 
and  to-day  in  return  for  that  ye  are  robbing  and  slaying  us. 
See  what  is  happening  from  the  sea  to  the  First  Cataract: 
your  common  people  are  hunting  the  Phoenicians  like  dogs, 
for  such  is  the  command  of  the  priesthood." 

"Thou  art  mad,  Phoenician!  Our  people  are  taking  the 
temple  of  Ptah  in  Memphis." 

Hiram  waved  his  hand. 

"They  will  not  take  it!  Ye  are  deceiving  us,  or  ye  are 
deceiving  yourselves.  Ye  were  to  seize,  first  of  all,  the  laby 
rinth  and  its  treasure,  and  that  only  on  the  23d.  Meanwhile 
ye  are  wasting  power  on  the  temple  of  Ptah,  and  the  labyrinth 
is  lost.  What  is  happening  here?  Where  is  mind  to  be  found 
in  this  place?"  continued  the  indignant  Phoenician.  "Why 
storm  an  empty  building?  Ye  are  attacking  it  so  that  the 
priests  may  take  more  care  of  the  labyrinth!" 

"We  will  seize  the  labyrinth,  too,"  said  Tutmosis. 

"Ye  will  seize  nothing,  nothing!  Only  one  man  could  take 
the  labyrinth,  and  he  will  be  stopped  by  to-day's  action  in 
Memphis." 

Tutmosis  halted  on  the  path. 

"About  what  art  thou  troubled?  "  asked  he,  abruptly. 

"About  the  disorder  which  reigns  here.  About  this,  that 
ye  are  no  longer  a  government,  but  a  group  of  officers  and 
officials  whom  the  priests  send  whithersoever  they  wish  and 
whensoever  it  pleases  them.  For  three  days  there  is  such 
terrible  confusion  in  Lower  Egypt  that  the  people  are  killing 
us,  your  only  friends,  the  Phoenicians.  And  why  is  this? 
Because  government  has  dropped  from  your  hands,  and  the 
priests  have  seized  it." 

"Thou  speakest  thus  for  thou  knowest  not  the  position," 
replied  Tutmosis.  "It  is  true  that  the  priests  thwart  us  and 
organize  attacks  on  Phoenicians.  But  power  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  pharaoh;  events  move  in  general  according  to  his 
orders." 


THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  675 

"ADC!  the  attack  on  the  temple  of  Ptah?"  inquired  Hiram. 

"Was  ordered  by  the  pharaoh.  I  was  present  at  the  con 
fidential  council,  during  which  the  pharaoh  gave  command  to 
take  possession  of  the  temples  to-day  instead  of  the  23d." 

"Well,  I  declare  to  thee,  commander  of  the  guard,  that  ye 
are  lost,  for  I  know  to  a  certainty  that  the  attack  of  to-day 
was  decided  on  at  a  council  of  high  priests  and  nomarchs  in 
the  temple  of  Ptah,  which  was  held  on  Paofi  13.'* 

"Why  should  they  arrange  an  attack  on  themselves?"  asked 
Tutmosis  in  a  jeering  voice. 

"They  must  have  had  some  reason  for  it.  And  I  have  con 
vinced  myself  that  they  manage  their  affairs  better  than  ye 
manage  yours." 

Further  conversation  was  interrupted  by  an  adjutant  sum 
moning  Tutmosis  to  his  holiness. 

"But  —  but,"  added  Hiram,  "your  soldiers  have  stopped 
on  the  path  the  priest  Pentuer,  who  has  something  important 
to  convey  to  the  pharaoh." 

Tutmosis  seized  his  own  head,  and  sent  officers  immediately 
to  find  Pentuer.  Then  he  ran  to  the  pharaoh,  and  after  a 
while  returned  and  commanded  the  Phoenician  to  follow  him. 

When  Hiram  entered  the  chamber  of  Rameses  he  saw  Queen 
Nikotris,  the  chief  treasurer,  the  chief  scribe,  and  a  number  of 
generals.  Rameses  XIII.  was  irritated,  and  walked  up  and 
down  quickly  through  the  chamber. 

"Here  we  have  the  misfortune  of  the  pharaoh,  and  of 
Egypt!  "  exclaimed  the  queen,  pointing  to  the  Phoenician. 

"Worthy  lady,"  answered  Hiram,  without  confusion,  bow 
ing  to  her,  "time  will  show  who  was  the  faithful  and  who  the 
evil  servant  of  his  holiness." 

Rameses  stopped  suddenly  before  Hiram. 

"Hast  thou  the  letters  of  Herhor  to  Assyria?  "  inquired  he. 

The  Phoenician  drew  from  under  his  robe  a  package,  and  in 
silence  handed  it  to  the  pharaoh. 

"This  is  what  I  needed!  "  exclaimed  the  pharaoh  in  triumph. 
"We  must  declare  at  once  to  the  people  that  the  high  priests 
are  guilty  of  treason  — 

"My  son,"  interrupted  the  queen  in  an  imploring  voice, 
"by  the  shade  of  thy  father  I  adjure  thee;  delay  this  an- 


676  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

Douncement  a  couple  of  days.  There  is  need  of  great  caution 
with  gifts  from  Phoenicia." 

" Holiness,"  put  in  Hiram,  "thou  mayst  even  burn  these 
letters.  I  am  in  no  way  concerned  with  them." 

The  pharaoh  thought  a  while,  then  hid  the  package  in  his 
bosom. 

"What  hast  thou  heard  in  Lower  Egypt?  "  inquired  the 
sovereign. 

4 'They  are  beating  Phoenicians  at  all  points,"  replied  Hiram. 
"Our  houses  are  wrecked,  our  effects  stolen,  and  a  number  of 
tens  of  Phoenicians  are  slain." 

"I  have  heard.  This  is  the  work  of  the  priests,"  said  the 
pharaoh. 

"Say,  rather,  my  son,  that  it  comes  of  the  godlessness  and 
extortion  of  Phoenicians,"  interrupted  Queen  Nikotris. 

"For  three  days  the  chief  of  police  from  Pi-Bast  is  in 
Memphis  with  two  assistants,  and  they  are  on  the  trail  of  the 
murderer  and  deceiver  Lykon  —  " 

"Who  was  hidden  in  Phoenician  temples!  "  cried  Nikotris. 

"Lykon,"  continued  Hiram,  "whom  the  high  priest  Mefres 
stole  from  the  police  and  the  courts  —  Lykon,  who  in  Thebes 
ran  naked  through  the  garden  as  a  maniac,  counterfeiting 
thee,  holiness." 

"What  dost  thou  tell  me?  "  cried  the  pharaoh. 

"Holiness,  ask  the  most  revered  queen  if  she  saw  him," 
answered  Hiram. 

Rameses  looked  in  confusion  at  his  mother. 

"Yes,"  said  she.  "I  saw  that  wretch,  but  I  said  nothing 
so  as  to  spare  thee  pain.  I  must  explain,  however,  that  no 
one  has  proof  that  Lykon  was  put  there  by  the  priests,  for  the 
Phoenicians  might  have  done  that  as  well." 

Hiram  laughed  sneeringly. 

"O  mother,  mother!"  cried  Rameses,  with  sorrow.  "Is  it 
possible  that  the  priests  are  dearer  to  thy  heart  than  I  am?" 

"Thou  art  my  son  and  most  precious  sovereign,"  said  the 
queen  with  enthusiasm,  "but  I  cannot  suffer  a  stranger,  an 
infidel,  to  cast  calumny  on  the  holy  order  of  the  priests  from 
which  we  are  both  descended.  O  Rameses,"  exclaimed  she, 
falling  on  her  knees,  "expel  these  wicked  counsellors  who 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  677 

urge  thee  to  insult  temples,  and  raise  thy  hand  against  the 
successor  of  thy  grandsire,  Amenhotep.  There  is  still  time 
for  agreement,  still  time  to  save  Egypt. " 

All  at  once,  Pentuer,  in  torn  garments,  entered  the  chamber. 

"Well,  and  what  hast  thou  to  say?"  inquired  the  pharaoh, 
with  wonderful  calmness. 

"To-day,  perhaps  immediately,  there  will  be  an  eclipse  of 
the  sun." 

The  pharaoh  started  back  in  astonishment. 

"How  does  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  concern  me,  especially  at 
this  moment?  " 

"Lord,"  said  Pentuer,  "I  thought  the  same  till  I  read  in 
old  chronicles  of  eclipses.  An  eclipse  is  such  a  terrifying 
spectacle  that  it  was  necessary  to  forewarn  the  whole  people 
of  it  —  " 

"That  is  the  truth!  "  interrupted  Hiram. 

"Why  didst  thou  not  inform  earlier?"  inquired  Tutmosis. 

"The  warriors  kept  me  in  prison  two  days.  We  cannot 
forewarn  the  people  now,  but  at  least  inform  the  troops  at  the 
palace,  so  that  they,  too,  should  not  give  way  to  panic." 

Rameses  clapped  his  hands. 

"Ah,  it  is  too  bad!"  whispered  he,  and  added  aloud. 
"When  will  it  be,  and  what  will  take  place?" 

"Day  will  become  night,"  said  Peutuer.  "This  will  last 
as  much  time,  perhaps,  as  is  needed  in  walking  five  hundred 
yards.  It  will  begin  at  midday,  so  Menes  told  me." 

"Menes,"  repeated  the  pharaoh,  "I  know  that  name." 

"He  wrote  thee  a  letter  concerning  it,  holiness.  But  let  the 
army  know." 

Straightway  they  sounded  the  trumpets;  the  guard  and  the 
Asiatics  were  drawn  out  under  arms,  and  the  pharaoh,  sur 
rounded  by  his  staff,  informed  the  troops  of  the  eclipse,  telling 
them  not  to  be  alarmed,  that  it  would  pass  soon,  and  that  he 
would  be  with  them. 

"Live  through  eternity!  "  answered  the  armed  ranks. 

At  the  same  time  a  number  of  the  best  riders  were  sent  to 
Memphis. 

The  generals  took  their  places  at  the  head  of  the  columns, 
the  pharaoh  walked  through  the  court  thoughtfully,  the  civil- 


678  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

ians  whispered  with  Hiram;  Queen  Nikotris,  left  alone  in  the 
chamber,  fell  on  her  face  before  the  statue  of  Osiris. 

It  was  after  one.     The  light  of  the  sun  began  to  lessen. 

4 'Will  night  come  in  fact?"  asked  the  pharaoh  of  Pentuer. 

1  'It  will  come,  but  during  a  very  short  interval." 

"Where  will  the  sun  be?" 

"It  will  hide  behind  the  moon." 

"I  must  restore  to  my  favor  the  sages  who  investigate  stars," 
said  the  pharaoh  to  himself. 

The  darkness  increased  quickly.  The  horses  of  the  Asiatics 
grew  restive,  flocks  of  birds  flew  into  the  garden,  and  occupied 
all  the  trees,  with  noisy  twitter. 

"Rouse  up!  "  cried  Kalippos  to  the  Greeks. 

The  drums  beat,  the  flutes  sounded,  and  to  this  accompani 
ment  the  Greek  soldiers  sang  a  dancing  song  of  the  priest's 
daughter  who  was  so  timid  that  she  could  sleep  only  in  the 
barracks. 

Meanwhile  an  ominous  shade  fell  on  the  tawny  Libyan  hills, 
and  covered  Memphis,  the  Nile,  and  the  palace  gardens  with 
lightning  swiftness.  Night  embraced  the  earth,  and  in  the 
heavens  appeared  a  ball  as  black  as  coal  surrounded  by  a  rim 
of  brightness. 

An  immense  uproar  drowned  the  song  of  the  Greek  regi 
ment.  This  was  caused  by  the  Asiatics,  who  raised  a  military 
shout  as  they  sent  a  cloud  of  arrows  toward  the  sky  to  frighten 
the  evil  spirit  which  was  gulping  the  sun  down. 

"Dost  say  that  that  black  ball  is  the  moon?"  inquired  the 
pharaoh  of  Pentuer. 

"That  is  what  Menes  asserts." 

"He  is  a  great  sage!     And  will  the  darkness  end  soon? " 

"To  a  certainty." 

"And  if  this  moon  should  tear  itself  away  and  fall  to  the 
earth?" 

"That  cannot  be.  Here  is  the  sun!"  cried  Pentuer,  with 
delight. 

The  assembled  regiments  raised  a  shout  in  honor  of  Rameses 
XIII. 

The  pharaoh  embraced  Pentuer.  "Indeed,"  said  he,  "we 
have  seen  a  most  wonderful  event.  But  I  should  not  like  to 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  679 

see  it  a  second  time.     I  feel  that  if  I  had  not  been  a  warrior 
fear  would  have  mastered  me." 

Hiram  approached  Tutmosis,  and  whispered,  — 

"Send  couriers,  worthiness,  to  Memphis  immediately,  for  I 
fear  that  the  high  priests  have  done  something  evil." 

u Dost  them  think  so?" 

Hiram  nodded. 

4 'They  would  not  have  managed  the  kingdom  so  long,"  said 
he,  "they  would  not  have  buried  eighteen  dynasties  if  they 
had  not  known  how  to  use  events  like  the  present." 

When  Rameses  had  thanked  the  troops  for  good  bearing  in 
presence  of  the  strange  phenomenon,  he  returned  to  his  villa. 
He  continued  thoughtful,  he  spoke  calmly,  even  mildly,  but  on 
his  shapely  face  doubt  was  evident. 

In  the  pharaoh's  soul  there  was  indeed  a  grievous  struggle. 
He  had  begun  to  understand  that  the  priests  possessed  powers 
which  he  not  only  had  not  weighed,  but  had  not  noted;  he 
had  not  even  wished  to  hear  of  them.  In  a  few  moments  the 
priests  who  followed  the  movements  of  stars  rose  in  his  eyes 
immensely,  and  he  said  to  himself  that  in  every  case  he 
should  learn  this  wonderful  wisdom  which  confuses  people's 
plans  so  terribly. 

Courier  after  courier  flew  from  the  palace  to  Memphis  to 
learn  what  had  happened  during  the  eclipse.  But  the  couriers 
did  not  return,  and  uncertainty  spread  its  black  wings  above 
the  retinue  of  the  pharaoh.  No  one  doubted  that  something 
evil  had  happened  at  the  temple  of  Ptah.  More  than  that,  no 
man  dared  to  draw  his  own  conclusions.  It  seemed  as  though 
the  pharaoh  and  his  intimate  counsellors  were  glad  when  a 
minute  passed  without  tidings.  Meanwhile  Queen  Nikotris 
sat  down  at  the  pharaoh's  side,  and  whispered,  — 

"Let  me  act,  Rameses.  Women  have  served  this  state 
more  than  once.  Only  remember  Queen  Nikotris  in  the  sixth 
dynasty,  or  Makara  who  created  a  fleet  on  the  Red  Sea.  In 
our  sex  there  is  no  lack  of  mind  or  of  energy,  so  let  me  act. 
If  the  temple  of  Ptah  is  not  taken,  and  the  priests  are  not 
wronged  I  will  reconcile  thee  with  Herhor.  Thou  wilt  take 
his  daughter  as  wife,  and  thy  reign  will  be  full  of  glory. 
Remember  that  thy  grandfather,  the  holy  Amenhotep,  was 


G80  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

also  a  high  priest  and  a  viceroy  of  the  pharaoh,  and  thou  thy 
self,  who  knows  if  thou  wouldst  be  reigning  to-day,  had  the 
holy  order  of  the  priests  not  desired  to  have  its  own  blood 
on  the  throne.  Art  thou,  too,  not  obliged  to  them  for 
dominion?" 

The  pharaoh  as  he  listened  to  her,  thought  all  the  time  that 
the  wisdom  of  the  priests  was  an  immense  power,  and  the 
struggle  with  them  difficult. 

Only  about  three  in  the  afternoon  did  the  first  courier  arrive 
from  Memphis,  an  adjutant  of  the  regiment  which  had  been 
stationed  at  the  temple.  He  informed  the  sovereign  that  the 
temple  had  not  been  taken  because  of  the  anger  of  the  gods ; 
that  the  people  had  fled,  that  the  priests  were  triumphant,  and 
that  even  in  the  army  disorder  had  arisen  during  that  brief 
but  terrible  darkness. 

Then,  taking  Tutmosis  aside,  the  adjutant  declared  to  him 
directly  that  the  troops  were  demoralized ;  that,  because  they 
had  fled  in  a  panic,  as  many  were  wounded  and  killed  as  in  a 
battle. 

"What  is  happening  now  with  the  troops?"  inquired  Tut 
mosis  in  consternation. 

"Of  course,"  replied  the  adjutant,  "we  were  able  to  rally 
the  men  and  bring  them  to  order.  But  we  cannot  even  speak 
of  using  them  against  the  temples,  especially  now  when  they 
are  occupied  with  caring  for  the  wounded.  At  present  a 
warrior  is  ready  to  fall  to  the  earth  before  a  shaven  head  and 
a  panther  skin ;  a  long  time  will  pass  before  any  one  will  dare 
to  cross  a  sacred  gateway." 

"But  what  are  the  priests  doing?" 

"Blessing  the  warriors,  giving  food  and  drink  to  them,  and 
pretending  that  the  troops  are  not  guilty  of  attacking  the 
temple;  that  that  was  the  work  of  Phoenicians." 

"But  do  ye  permit  this  demoralization  of  troops?  "  exclaimed 
Tutmosis. 

"Well,  his  holiness  commanded  us  to  defend  the  priests 
against  the  multitude.  Had  we  been  permitted  to  occupy  the 
temple  we  should  have  done  so  at  ten  in  the  morning,  and  the 
high  priests  now  would  be  sitting  in  a  dungeon." 

At  this  moment  the  officer  in  attendance  informed  Tutmosis 


THE   PHARAOH   AND  THE   PRIEST  681 

that  again  some  priest  had  arrived  from  Memphis,  and  desired 
to  speak  with  his  holiness. 

Tutrnosis  looked  at  the  guest.  He  was  a  man  rather  young, 
with  a  face  as  if  carved  out  of  wood.  He  said  that  he  had 
come  to  the  pharaoh  from  Samentu. 

Rameses  received  the  priest,  who  prostrated  himself  and 
gave  the  pharaoh  a  ring,  at  sight  of  which  his  holiness  grew 
pallid. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  asked  he. 

" Samentu  is  no  longer  alive,"  replied  the  priest. 

Rameses  could  not  recover  his  voice  for  a  time.  At  last  he 
asked,  — 

"How  has  this  happened?" 

"It  appears,"  replied  the  priest,  "that  Samentu  was  dis 
covered  in  one  of  the  halls  of  the  labyrinth,  and  that  he 
poisoned  himself  to  escape  torture.  It  seems  that  Mefres 
discovered  him  through  the  aid  of  a  certain  Greek,  who,  as 
they  tell  us,  resembles  thee,  holiness." 

"Again  Mefres  and  Lykon!  "  exclaimed  Tutmosis  in  anger, 
"O  lord,"  said  he,  turning  to  Rameses,  "wilt  thou  never  free 
thyself  from  those  traitors?" 

The  pharaoh  summoned  a  confidential  council  again.  He 
called  in  Hiram,  also  the  priest  who  had  brought  the  ring  from 
Samentu.  Pentuer  did  not  wish  to  take  part  in  the  council, 
but  the  worthy  queen  went  herself  to  it. 

"I  see,"  whispered  Hiram  to  Tutmosis,  "that  after  tho 
expulsion  of  priests  women  are  to  govern  Egypt." 

When  the  dignitaries  had  assembled,  the  pharaoh  let  Sa- 
mentu's  messenger  speak. 

The  young  priest  would  not  talk  of  the  labyrinth,  but  he 
explained  sufficiently  that  the  temple  of  Ptah  was  undefended, 
and  that  a  few  tens  of  men  would  suffice  to  arrest  all  who  were 
hiding  there. 

"This  man  is  a  traitor!"  screamed  the  queen.  "A  priest 
himself,  he  persuades  thee  to  violence  against  the  priesthood." 

In  the  face  of  the  messenger  no  muscle  quivered.  "  Worthy 
lady,"  replied  he,  "if  Mefres  destroyed  my  guardian  and 
master,  Samentu,  I  should  be  a  dog  if  I  sought  not  revenge. 
Death  for  death !  " 


682  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"This  young  man  pleases  me,"  whispered  Hiram. 

Indeed  a  fresher  air  seemed  to  move  in  the  assembly.  Gen 
erals  straightened  themselves;  civilians  looked  at  the  priest 
with  curiosity;  even  the  pharaoh's  face  became  livelier. 

"Listen  not  to  him,  my  son,"  implored  Queen  Nikotris. 

"What  dost  thou  think,"  asked  the  pharaoh  on  a  sudden; 
"what  would  the  holy  Samentu  do  now  were  he  living?" 

"I  am  sure,"  answered  the  priest,  energetically,  "that 
Samentu  would  go  to  the  temple  of  Ptah  and  burn  incense  to 
the  gods;  but  he  would  punish  murderers  and  traitors." 

"And  I  repeat  that  thou  art  the  worst  of  traitors!"  cried 
the  queen. 

"I  only  fulfil  my  duty,"  said  the  priest,  unmoved  by  her 
language. 

"This  man  is  a  pupil  of  Samentu  indeed,"  said  Hiram. 
"He  alone  sees  what  is  left  us  to  do,  and  sees  clearly." 

The  military  and  civil  dignitaries  recognized  the  correctness 
of  Hiram's  opinion. 

"Since  we  have  begun  a  struggle  with  the  priests,"  said  the 
chief  scribe,  "we  should  finish  it,  and  finish  it  to-day  when  we 
have  letters  proving  that  Herhor  was  negotiating  with  the 
Assyrians,  an  act  which  is  high  treason  against  Egypt." 

"He  is  carrying  out  the  policy  of  Rameses  XIL,"  said  the 
queen. 

"But  I  am  Rameses  XIII.,"  said  the  pharaoh  impatiently. 

Tutmosis  rose  from  his  chair. 

"My  lord,"  said  he,  "let  me  act.  It  is  very  dangerous  to 
continue  uncertainty  in  the  government,  and  it  would  be  folly 
and  crime  not  to  use  this  occasion.  Since  this  priest  says  that 
the  temple  is  not  defended,  let  me  go  to  it  with  a  handful  of 
men  whom  I  will  select." 

"I  am  with  thee!"  said  Kalippos.  "According  to  my  ex 
perience,  an  enemy  while  triumphant  is  the  weakest.  If  we 
attack  the  temple  of  Ptah  immediately  —  " 

"Ye  do  not  need  to  attack,  but  go  in  there  as  executives  of 
the  pharaoh  who  commands  you  to  imprison  traitors,"  said  the 
chief  scribe.  "Even  force  is  not  needed.  How  often  does 
one  policeman  rush  at  a  crowd  of  offenders  and  seize  as  many 
as  he  wishes." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  683 

uMy  son,"  said  the  queen,  "yields  to  the  pressure  of  your 
counsels.  But  he  does  not  wish  force;  he  forbids  you  to 
use  it." 

"Ha!  if  that  be  the  case,"  said  the  young  priest  of  Set,  "I 
will  tell  his  holiness  one  other  thing."  He  breathed  a  couple 
of  times  deeply,  but  still  he  finished  in  a  stifled  voice  and  with 
effort.  "On  the  streets  of  Memphis  the  party  of  the  priests 
is  announcing,  that  — 

"That  what?     Speak  boldly,"  said  the  pharaoh. 

"That  thou,  holiness,  art  insane,  that  thou  hast  not  the 
ordination  of  high  priest,  that  thou  art  not  even  made  pharaoh, 
and  that  —  it  is  possible  to  exclude  thee  from  the  throne." 

"That  is  just  what  I  feared,"  whispered  Nikotris. 

The  pharaoh  sprang  up  from  his  seat. 

"Tutmosis!"  cried  he,  in  a  voice  in  which  his  recovered 
energy  was  heard.  "Take  as  many  troops  as  thou  wishest; 
go  to  the  temple  of  Ptah  and  bring  me  Herhor  and  Mefres, 
accused  of  high  treason.  If  they  are  justified  I  will  return  my 
favor;  in  the  opposite  case  —  " 

"Hast  thou  finished?"  interrupted  the  queen. 

This  time  the  indignant  pharaoh  did  not  answer  her,  and  the 
officials  cried,  — 

"Death  to  traitors!  When  has  it  begun  that  in  Egypt  a 
pharaoh  must  sacrifice  faithful  servants  to  beg  for  himself  the 
favor  of  scoundrels?  " 

Rameses  XIII.  confided  to  Tutmosis  the  package  of  letters 
of  Herhor  to  Assyria,  and  said  in  a  solemn  voice,  — 

"Till  the  rebellion  of  the  priests  is  suppressed,  I  place  my 
power  in  the  person  of  Tutmosis,  commander  of  the  guards. 
And  do  ye  listen  to  him,  and  do  thou,  worthy  mother,  go  with 
thy  judgments  to  him?  " 

"Wisely  and  justly  has  the  sovereign  acted!"  exclaimed 
the  chief  scribe.  "It  does  not  become  a  pharaoh  to  struggle 
with  sedition,  and  a  lack  of  firm  rule  might  destroy  us." 

All  the  dignitaries  inclined  before  Tutmosis.  Queen  Niko 
tris  fell  at  her  son's  feet. 

Tutmosis,  in  company  with  the  generals,  went  out  to  the 
court.  He  commanded  the  first  regiment  of  the  guard  to  form, 
and  said,  — 


684  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"I  need  a  few  tens  of  men  who  are  ready  to  die  for  the  glory 
of  our  lord." 

More  presented  themselves,  both  men  and  officers,  than 
were  needed,  and  at  the  head  of  them  Eunana. 

"Are  ye  prepared  for  death?"  inquired  Tutmosis. 

uWe  will  die  with  thee,  lord,  for  his  holiness!"  exclaimed 
Eunana. 

"Ye  will  not  die,  but  ye  will  overcome  vile  criminals," 
replied  Tutmosis.  "Soldiers  belonging  to  this  expedition 
will  become  officers,  and  officers  will  be  advanced  two  degrees. 
I  say  this  to  you,  I,  Tutmosis,  supreme  chief  by  the  will  of  the 
pharaoh." 

"Live  thou  forever! " 

Tutmosis  commanded  to  prepare  twenty-five  two-wheeled 
chariots  of  the  heavy  cavalry,  and  ordered  the  volunteers  to 
enter.  Then  he  with  Kalippos  mounted  their  horses,  and 
soon  the  whole  retinue  turned  toward  Memphis  and  vanished 
in  a  dust  cloud. 

When  Hiram  saw  this  from  the  window  of  a  villa,  he  bowed 
before  the  pharaoh  and  whispered,  - 

"  Now  for  the  first  time  I  believe  that  thou  art  not  in  conspi 
racy  with  the  higli  priests." 

"  Wert  thou  mad?  "  burst  out  the  pharaoh. 

"  Pardon,  sovereign,  but  the  attack  on  the  temple  to-day  was 
planned  by  the  priests.  How  they  drew  thee  into  it,  holiness, 
I  do  not  understand  to  this  moment." 

It  was  five  in  the  afternoon. 


CHAPTER  LXVI 

AT  that  same  hour  to  a  minute,  the  priest,  watching  on  the 
pylon  of  the  temple  of  Ptah  in  Memphis,  informed  the  high 
priests  and  nomarchs  counselling  in  the  hall,  that  the  palace  of 
the  pharaoh  was  giving  some  signals. 

"  It  seems  that  his  holiness  will  beg  us  for  peace,"  said  one 
of  the  nomarchs,  smiling. 

"  I  doubt  that !  "  answered  Mefres. 

Herhor   ascended   the   pylon,   for   they   were   signalling   to 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE  PRIEST  685 

him  from  the  palace.  Soon  he  returned  and  said  to  those 
assembled  : 

"  Our  young  priest  has  managed  very  well.  At  this  moment 
Tutmosis  is  advancing  with  some  tens  of  volunteers  to  imprison 
or  slay  us." 

"  And  wilt  thou  dare  still  to  defend  Rameses?  "  cried  Mefres. 

"I  must  and  will  defend  him,  for  I  swore  solemnly  to  the 
queen  that  I  would.  Were  it  not  for  the  worthy  daughter  of 
the  holy  Amenhotep,  our  position  to-day  would  not  be  what 
it  is." 

"  Well,  but  I  have  not  sworn,"  replied  Mefres,  and  he  left 
the  hall. 

"  What  does  he  wish?  "  asked  one  of  the  nomarchs. 

"  He  is  an  old  man  grown  childish,"  replied  Herhor,  shrugging 
his  shoulders. 

Before  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  a  division  of  the  guard  ap 
proached  the  temple  of  Ptah  unhindered,  and  the  leader  of  it 
knocked  at  the  gate,  which  was  opened  immediately.  This  was 
Tutmosis  with  his  volunteers. 

When  the  chief  entered  the  temple  court  he  was  astonished  to 
see  Herhor  in  the  mitre  of  Amenhotep,  and  surrounded  only  by 
priests  come  out  to  meet  him. 

"  What  dost  thou  wish,  my  son?  "  asked  the  high  priest  of 
the  chief,  who  was  somewhat  confused  by  the  meeting. 

Tutmosis  mastered  himself  quickly,  and  said,  — 

"  Herhor,  high  priest  of  Amon  in  Thebes,  because  of  letters 
which  thou  hast  written  to  Sargon,  the  Assyrian  satrap,  which 
letters  I  have  with  me,  thou  art  accused  of  high  treason  to  the 
state,  and  must  justify  thyself  before  the  pharaoh." 

"If  the  young  lord,"  answered  Herhor  calmly,  "wishes  to 
learn  the  object  of  the  policy  of  the  eternally  living  Rameses 
XII.,  let  him  apply  to  our  Supreme  Council  and  he  will  receive 
explanations." 

"  I  summon  thee  to  follow  me  at  once,  unless  thou  wish  that 
I  should  force  thee,"  continued  Tutmosis. 

"  My  son,  I  implore  the  gods  to  preserve  thee  from  violence, 
and  from  the  punishment  which  thou  deservest." 

"  Wilt  thou  go?  "  asked  Tutmosis. 

"  I  wait  here  for  Rameses,"  answered  Ilerhor. 


686  THE  PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

"  Well,  then,  remain  here,  trickster !  "  cried  Tutmosis. 

He  drew  his  sword  and  rushed  at  Herhor. 

At  that  instant  Eunana,  who  was  standing  behind  the  chief, 
raised  an  axe  and  struck  Tutmosis  with  all  his  might  between 
the  neck  and  the  right  shoulder  blade,  so  that  the  blood  spurted 
in  every  direction.  The  favorite  of  the  pharaoh  fell  to  the  earth 
almost  cut  in  two. 

Some  of  the  warriors  with  levelled  spears  rushed  at  Eunana, 
but  they  fell  after  a  brief  struggle  with  their  own  comrades.  Of 
the  volunteers,  three-fourths  were  in  the  pay  of  the  priesthood. 

"  May  he  live,  his  holiness  Herhor,  our  lord  !  "  cried  Eunana, 
waving  his  bloody  axe. 

"May  he  live  through  eternity!"  repeated  the  warriors  and 
priests,  and  all  fell  on  their  faces. 

The  most  worthy  Herhor  raised  his  hands  and  blessed  them. 

On  leaving  the  court  of  the  temple,  Mefres  went  to  the  under 
ground  chamber  to  Lykon.  The  high  priest  at  the  very  thresh 
old  drew  from  his  bosom  a  crystal  ball,  at  the  sight  of  which 
the  Greek  fell  into  anger. 

"Would  that  the  earth  swallowed  you!  Would  that  your 
corpses  might  know  no  rest!"  said  Lykon,  abusing  him  in  a 
voice  which  grew  lower  and  lower. 

At  last  he  was  silent  and  fell  into  a  trance. 

"  Take  this  dagger,"  said  Mefres,  giving  the  Greek  a  slender 
steel  blade.  "  Take  this  dagger  and  go  to  the  palace  garden. 
Halt  there  at  the  clump  of  fig  trees  and  wait  for  him  who 
deprived  thee  of  Kama,  and  took  her  away." 

Lykon  gritted  his  teeth  in  helpless  rage. 

"  And  when  thou  seest  him,  wake,"  concluded  Mefres. 

He  threw  over  the  Greek  an  officer's  mantle  with  a  cowl,  whis 
pered  the  password  into  his  ear  and  led  him  forth  to  the  empty 
streets  of  Memphis  through  a  secret  door  of  the  temple. 

Then  Mefres  ran  with  the  celerity  of  youth  to  the  summit  of 
the  pylon,  and  taking  in  his  hand  some  banners,  made  signals 
toward  the  palace.  They  saw  and  understood  him,  that  was 
evident,  for  a  bitter  smile  came  to  the  parchment-like  face  of 
the  high  priest. 

Mefres  put  down  the  banners,  left  the  summit  of  the  pylon 
and  descended  slowly.  When  he  reached  the  pavement  he  was 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  687 

surrounded  by  some  men  in  light  brown  tunics,  which  were 
covered  by  coats  in  white  and  black  stripes. 

"  Here  is  the  most  worthy  Mefres,"  said  one  of  them.  And 
all  three  knelt  before  the  high  priest,  who  raised  his  hand 
mechanically,  as  if  to  bless  them.  But  he  dropped  it  suddenly, 
inquiring,  "  Who  are  ye?" 

"  Overseers  of  the  labyrinth.'* 

"  Why  have  ye  barred  the  way  to  me?"  asked  he,  and  his 
hand  and  thin  lips  began  to  tremble. 

"  We  need  not  remind  thee,  holy  man,"  said  one  of  the  over 
seers  still  kneeling,  "  that  some  days  *ago  thou  wert  in  the 
labyrinth,  to  which  thou  knowest  the  way  as  well  as  we, 
though  thou  art  uninitiated.  Thou  art  too  great  a  sage  not  to 
know  what  our  law  is  in  such  a  case." 

"What  does  this  mean?"  exclaimed  Mefres  in  a  raised 
voice.  "Ye  are  murderers  sent  by  Her — " 

He  did  not  finish.  One  of  the  men  seized  him  by  the  arms, 
another  passed  a  kerchief  over  his  head,  and  a  third  threw 
a  transparent  liquid  over  his  face.  Mefres  struggled  a  number 
of  times,  and  fell.  They  sprinkled  him  again.  When  he  was 
dead  they  placed  him  in  a  niche,  pushed  into  his  dead  hand  a 
papyrus,  and  vanished. 

Three  men  dressed  similarly  chased  after  Lykon  almost  the 
instant  that  he  was  pushed  out  of  the  temple  by  Mefres  and 
found  himself  on  the  empty  street.  The  men  had  hidden  not 
far  from  the  door  through  which  the  Greek  issued,  and  at  first 
let  him  pass  freely.  But  soon  one  of  them  noted  something 
suspicious  in  his  hand,  so  they  followed. 

A  wonderful  thing !  Lykon  though  in  a  trance  felt,  as  it 
were,  the  pursuit ;  he  turned  quickly  into  a  street  full  of  move 
ment,  then  to  a  square  where  a  multitude  of  people  were  circling 
about,  and  then  ran  to  the  Nile  by  Fisher  Street.  There,  at  the 
end  of  some  alley,  he  found  a  small  boat,  sprang  into  it  and 
began  to  cross  the  river  with  a  speed  which  was  remarkable. 

He  was  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  from  the  shore  when  a  boat 
pushed  out  after  him  with  one  rower  and  three  passengers. 
Barely  had  these  left  land  when  a  second  boat  appeared  with 
two  rowers  and  three  passengers  also. 

Both  boats  pursued  Lykon  with  stubbornness.     In  that  which 


688  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

had  only  one  rower  sat  the  overseers  of  the  labyrinth,  looking 
diligently  at  their  rivals,  as  far  as  was  permitted  by  the  dark 
ness,  which  came  soon  after  sundown. 

44  Who  are  those  three?  "  whispered  they  among  themselves. 
44  Since  the  day  before  yesterday  they  have  been  lurking  around 
the  temple,  and  to-day  they  are  pursuing  Lykon.  Do  they 
wish  to  protect  him  from  us?" 

Lykon's  small  boat  reached  the  other  shore.  The  Greek 
sprang  from  it  and  went  swiftly  toward  the  palace  garden. 
Sometimes  he  staggered,  stopped,  and  seized  his  head,  but 
after  an  instant  he  went  forward  again,  as  if  drawn  by  some 
incomprehensible  attraction. 

The  overseers  of  the  labyrinth  landed  also,  but  they  were 
preceded  by  their  rivals. 

And  a  race  began  which  was  unique  in  its  kind :  Lykon 
was  hurrying  toward  the  palace,  like  a  swift  runner;  after  him 
were  the  three  unknown  men,  and  the  three  overseers  of  the 
labyrinth. 

A  few  hundred  steps  from  the  garden  the  pursuing  groups 
came  together.  It  was  night  then,  but  clear. 

"Who  are  ye?"  asked  one  of  the  labyrinth  men  of  the 
others. 

44 1  am  the  chief  of  police  in  Pi-Bast,  and,  with  my  centu 
rions,  am  pursuing  a  great  criminal,"  answered  one  of  them. 

44  We  are  overseers  of  the  labyrinth  and  are  following  the 
same  person.'7 

The  groups  looked  at  each  other  with  hands  on  their  swords 
or  knives. 

44  What  will  ye  do  with  him?"  asked  the  chief  of  police. 

44  We  have  a  sentence  against  the  man." 

44  But  will  ye  leave  the  body?  " 

44  With  all  that  is  on  it,"  replied  the  elder  overseer. 

The  police  whispered  among  themselves. 

44  If  ye  tell  the  truth,"  said  the  chief  at  last,  44  we  shall  not 
hinder  you.  On  the  contrary,  we  will  lend  him  to  you  for  a 
while,  as  he  will  fall  into  our  hands  later." 

44  Do  ye  swear?" 

44  We  swear." 

44  Then  we  may  go  together." 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  689 

So  they  joined  forces,  but  the  Greek  had  vanished. 

"  Curses  on  him!"  cried  the  chief  of  police.  "  He  has 
escaped  again ! " 

"He  will  be  found,"  answered  the  overseer  of  the  laby 
rinth,  "  or  perhaps  even  he  will  return." 

4 'Why  should  he  go  to  the  pharaoh's  garden?"  asked  the 
chief  of  police. 

"  The  high  priests  are  using  him  for  some  purpose  of  their 
own,  but  he  will  return  to  the  temple." 

They  decided  to  wait  and  act  in  common. 

"We  are  spending  the  third  night  for  nothing,"  said  one  of 
the  policemen,  yawning. 

They  wrapped  themselves  in  their  cloaks  and  lay  on  the  grass. 

Immediately  after  the  departure  of  Tutmosis,  the  worthy 
lady  Nikotris,  in  silence,  with  lips  tightly  closed  from  anger, 
left  the  chamber  of  her  son,  and  when  Rameses  wished  to 
calm  her,  she  interrupted  him  sharply,  — 

"  I  take  leave  of  the  pharaoh,  and  pray  the  gods  to  permit 
me  to  see  him  to-morrow  as  pharaoh." 

"  Dost  thou  doubt  that,  mother?  " 

"  It  is  possible  to  doubt  everything  in  presence  of  one  who 
listens  to  madmen  and  traitors." 

They  parted  in  anger. 

Soon  his  holiness  recovered  good-humor  and  conversed 
joyously  with  the  officials.  But  about  six  o'clock  alarm  began 
to  torment  him. 

"  Tutmosis  ought  to  send  us  a  courier,"  said  he.  "  For  I 
am  certain  that  the  affair  is  already  settled  in  one  or  another 
way." 

"  I  do  not  know  that,"  said  the  chief  treasurer.  "  They  may 
not  have  found  boats  at  the  crossing.  There  may  have  been 
resistance  at  the  temple." 

"  But  where  is  that  young  priest?"  asked  Hiram  on  a 
sudden. 

"The  priest?  The  messenger  of  the  late  Samentu?  "  re 
peated  the  officials  in  concern.  "That  is  true  —  where  can 
he  be?" 

Men  were  sent  to  search  the  garden.  They  searched  every 
path,  but  there  was  no  priest. 

44 


690  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

This  circumstance  made  a  bad  impression  on  the  dignitaries. 
Each  one  sat  in  silence,  sunk  in  alarming  thoughts. 

About  sundown  the  pharaoh's  chamber  servant  entered  and 
whispered  that  the  lady  Hebron  was  very  ill,  and  implored  his 
holiness  to  visit  her. 

The  officials,  knowing  the  relations  between  their  lord  and 
the  beautiful  Hebron,  looked  at  one  another.  But  when  the 
pharaoh  announced  his  purpose  of  going  into  the  garden  they 
made  no  protest.  The  garden,  thanks  to  numerous  guards,  was 
as  safe  as  the  palace.  No  one  considered  it  proper  to  watch 
over  the  pharaoh  even  from  a  distance,  knowing  that  Rameses 
did  not  wish  any  one  to  be  occupied  with  him  at  certain 
moments. 

When  he  disappeared,  the  chief  scribe  said  to  the  treasurer,  — 

"Time  drags  on  like  a  chariot  in  the  desert  Perhaps 
Hebron  has  some  news  from  Tutmosis." 

"  At  this  moment,"  answered  the  treasurer,  "  his  expedition 
with  a  few  tens  of  men  to  the  temple  of  Ptah  seems  to  me 
inconceivable  madness !  " 

"  But  did  the  pharaoh  act  more  wisely  at  the  Soda  Lakes 
when  he  chased  all  night  after  Tehenna?"  put  in  Hiram. 
"  Daring  means  more  than  numbers." 

"  But  that  young  priest?  "  asked  the  treasurer. 

"  He  came  without  our  knowledge  and  went  without  leave," 
added  Hiram.  "  Each  one  of  us  acts  like  a  conspirator." 

The  treasurer  shook  his  head. 

Rameses  passed  the  space  between  his  villa  and  that  of  Tut 
mosis  quickly.  When  he  entered  her  chamber  Hebron  threw 
herself  on  his  neck  with  weeping. 

"  I  am  dying  of  fear !  "  cried  she. 

"  Art  thou  alarmed  for  Tutmosis?" 

"  What  is  Tutmosis  to  me?"  answered  Hebron,  with  a  con 
temptuous  grimace.  "  I  care  for  thee  only  !  Of  thee  only  am 
I  thinking,  —  I  am  alarmed  for  thee  !  " 

"Blessed  be  thy  alarm  which  freed  me  even  for  a  moment 
from  tedium,"  said  the  pharaoh,  laughing.  "O  gods!  what 
a  day !  If  thou  hadst  heard  our  discussions,  if  thou  hadst 
seen  the  faces  of  our  counsellors !  And  in  addition  to  all, 
it  pleased  the  worthy  queen  to  honor  our  assembly  with  her 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  691 

presence.  Never  had  I  supposed  that  the  dignity  of  pharaoh 
could  be  so  annoying." 

"Do  not  say  this  audibly,"  cautioned  Hebron.  "What 
wilt  thou  do  if  Tutmosis  does  not  succeed  in  seizing  the 
temple?  " 

"  I  will  take  the  leadership  from  him,  hide  my  crown  in  a 
box,  and  put  on  an  officer's  helmet,"  answered  Rameses.  "  I 
am  certain  that  when  I  appear  at  the  head  of  the  troops  myself 
the  sedition  will  vanish." 

"  Which  one  ?  "  inquired  Hebron. 

"  Ah,  true,  we  have  two,"  laughed  Rameses.  "  That  of  the 
people  against  the  priests,  that  of  the  priests  against  me." 

He  seized  Hebron  in  his  arms  and  went  toward  the  couch 
whispering,  — 

"  How  beautiful  thou  art  to-day  !  Each  time  I  see  thee  thou 
art  different,  —  each  time  more  beautiful  than  ever." 

"  Let  me  go,"  whispered  Hebron.  "  At  times  I  am  afraid 
that  thou  wilt  bite  me." 

"  Bite?  —  No  !  But  I  might  kiss  thee  to  death.  Thou  dost 
not  even  suspect  thy  own  beauty." 

"  I  am  beautiful  in  comparison  with  ministers  and  generals. 
But  free  me." 

"  In  thy  presence  I  should  wish  to  be  like  a  pomegranate. 
I  should  wish  to  have  as  many  arms  as  the  tree  has  branches, 
so  as  to  embrace  thee  with  all  of  them,  — as  many  hands  as  it 
has  leaves,  and  as  many  lips  as  it  has  flowers,  so  as  to  kiss  thy 
lips,  eyes,  and  bosom  at  once  with  them." 

"  Thou  hast  a  mind  marvellously  free  of  care  for  a  sovereign 
whose  throne  is  in  peril." 

"  On  the  couch,  I  do  not  care  for  a  throne.  While  I  have  a 
sword  I  shall  have  power." 

"Thy  troops  are  scattered,"  said  Hebron,  defending  herself. 

"  To-morrow  fresh  troops  will  come,  and  after  to-morrow  I 
shall  gather  the  scattered  ones.  I  repeat  to  thee  be  not  occu 
pied  with  trifles.  One  moment  of  fondling  is  worth  more  than 
a  year  of  dominion." 

One  hour  after  sunset  the  pharaoh  left  Hebron's  villa  and 
returned  slowly  to  his  palace.  He  was  full  of  imaginings,  he 
was  dreamy,  and  he  thought  the  high  priests  were  great  fools 


692  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

to  resist  him.  Since  Egypt  became  Egypt  there  had  not  been 
a  kindlier  pharaoh. 

All  at  once,  from  out  a  clump  of  fig  trees  sprang  a  man  in  a 
dark  mantle,  and  barred  the  road  to  Rameses.  The  pharaoh, 
to  see  the  man  better,  approached  his  face  to  the  face  of  the 
stranger  and  cried  suddenly,  — 

"  O  wretch,  is  it  thou?     Go  to  the  guard  house  !  " 

It  was  Lykon.  Rameses  seized  him  by  the  neck  ;  the  Greek 
hissed  and  knelt  on  the  ground.  At  the  same  moment  the 
pharaoh  felt  a  sharp  pain  in  the  left  side  of  his  stomach. 

"  Dost  thou  bite  too?  "  cried  Rameses.  He  seized  the  Greek 
with  both  hands,  and  when  he  heard  the  cracking  of  his  broken 
spine  he  hurled  him  off  in  disgust. 

Lykon  fell  quivering  in  the  convulsions  of  death. 

The  pharaoh  moved  back  a  couple  of  steps.  He  examined 
his  body  and  discovered  the  handle  of  a  dagger. 

"He  has  wounded  me  !  " 

He  drew  the  slender  steel  from  his  side  and  pressed  the 
wound. 

"  I  wonder,"  thought  he,  "if  any  of  my  counsellors  has  a 
plaster?"  He  felt  weak  and  hurried  forward.  Right  at  the 
palace  one  of  the  officers  stood  before  him  and  said,  "  Tutmo- 
sis  is  dead ;  the  traitor  Eunana  slew  him." 

"Eunana?"  repeated  the  pharaoh.  "But  what  of  the 
others?" 

"Almost  all  the  volunteers  who  went  with  Tutmosis  were 
sold  to  the  priests." 

"  Well,  I  must  finish  this !  "  said  Rameses.  "  Sound  the 
trumpets  for  the  Asiatic  regiments." 

The  trumpets  sounded,  and  the  Asiatics  hurried  from  the 
barracks,  leading  their  horses. 

"  Give  me  my  steed !  "  said  the  pharaoh.  But  he  felt  a  sud 
den  dizziness  and  added,  "  No,  give  me  a  litter,  I  should  tire 
myself." 

All  at  once  he  tottered  into  the  arms  of  the  officers. 

"  Oh,  I  almost  forgot,"  said  Rameses  in  a  dying  voice. 
"Bring  my  helmet  and  sword — that  steel  sword  —  from  the 
Soda — .  Let  us  go  to  Memphis  —  " 

Officials  and  servants  ran  out  of  the  villa  with  torches.     The 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  693 

pharaoh  was  supported  by  officers,  his  face  was  pale  and  his 
eyes  were  mist-covered.  He  stretched  forth  his  hand  as  if  seek 
ing  his  breastplate,  his  lips  moved,  and  amid  general  silence  the 
lord  of  two  worlds,  the  temporal  and  the  western,  breathed  his 
life  out. 

The  dove-eyed  goddess  Astaroth  had  avenged  the  wrong  done 
her  priestess. 


CHAPTER   LXVII 

FROM  the  death  of  Rameses  XIII.  till  the  day  of  his  burial 
the  state  was  governed  by  the  most  worthy  Sau-Amen- 
Herhor  as  high  priest  of  the  Theban  Amon,  and  viceroy  of  the 
late  pharaoh. 

The  government  of  the  viceroy,  lasting  some  months,  was 
very  prosperous  for  Egypt.  Herhor  pacified  the  outbreaks  of 
the  people,  and,  in  accordance  with  former  times,  he  gave  the 
seventh  day  for  rest  to  the  working  man.  He  introduced  stern 
discipline  among  the  priests  ;  he  extended  protection  to  foreign 
ers,  especially  Phoenicians,  and  concluded  a  treaty  with  Assyria, 
not  yielding  Phoenicia,  however,  which  remained  tributary  to 
Egypt. 

In  the  course  of  this  short  government,  justice  was  meted  out 
quickly,  but  without  cruelty,  and  this  or  that  man  did  not  dare 
to  beat  an  Egyptian  laborer,  who  had  the  right  to  appeal  to  a  i 
court  if  he  had  time  sufficient  and  witnesses. 

Herhor  occupied  himself  too  in  paying  the  debts  which  weighed 
on  the  lands  of  the  state  and  the  pharaoh.  With  this  object  he 
persuaded  the  Phoenicians  to  resign  a  certain  part  of  the  sums 
due  them  from  the  treasury,  and  to  cover  the  rest  he  drew  from 
the  labyrinth  the  enormous  sum  of  thirty  thousand  talents. 

Thanks  to  these  measures,  in  the  course  of  three  months  peace 
and  prosperity  were  established  in  Egypt. 

"  May  the  rule  of  the  viceroy,  San-Amen-Herhor  be  blessed  !  " 
said  the  people.  "  Indeed  the  gods  predestined  him  to  power 
so  as  to  free  Egypt  from  misfortunes  brought  on  by  Rameses 
XIII.,  who  was  a  woman-hunter  and  frivolous." 

A  few  days  sufficed  the  people  to  forget  that  all  Herhor's 


694  THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 

acts  were   merely  the  accomplishment  of  plans   made  by  the 
young  and  lofty-minded  pharaoh. 

In  the  month  Tobi,  when  the  mummy  of  Rameses  XIII.  was 
placed  in  its  tomb,  a  great  assembly  of  the  most  important  per 
sonages  met  in  the  temple  of  Amon.  There  were  present  almost 
all  the  high  priests,  nomarchs,  and  generals  of  troops,  and 
among  them,  covered  with  glory,  was  the  gray-haired  chief  of 
the  eastern  army,  Nitager. 

In  this  same  gigantic  hall  of  columns,  where  half  a  year  earlier 
the  priests  had  judged  Rameses  XII.,  and  shown  dislike  for 
Rameses  XIII.,  those  dignitaries  assembled  to  settle  the  most 
important  question  of  state,  under  the  presidency  of  Herhor. 
On  the  25th  of  Tobi,  exactly  at  noon,  Herhor,  in  the  mitre  of 
Amenhotep,  sat  on  the  throne ;  others  sat  in  armchairs,  and  the 
council  took  place. 

It  was  of  wonderfully  short  duration,  just  as  if  the  result  had 
been  arranged  previously. 

"  High  priests,  nomarchs,  and  leaders,"  began  Herhor.  "  We 
have  assembled  here  on  sad  and  important  business.  With  the 
death  of  the  eternally  living  Rameses  XIII.,  whose  short  and 
stormy  reign  ended  in  a  manner  so  unfortunate  — "  Here 
Herhor  sighed. 

"  With  Rameses  XIII.  perished  not  only  a  pharaoh,  but  the 
twentieth  dynasty,  which  was  full  of  glory." 

Among  those  present  rose  a  murmur. 

"  The  dynasty  has  not  ended,"  interrupted  the  powerful 
nomarch  of  Memphis,  almost  harshly.  "The  worthy  Queen 
Nikotris  is  still  living,  therefore  the  throne  belongs  to  her." 

After  a  time  Herhor  answered:  "  My  most  worth}^  consort, 
Queen  Nikotris  — 

Now  in  the  assembly  was  heard,  not  a  murmur,  but  a  cry, 
and  it  lasted  a  number  of  minutes.  When  it  ceased  Herhor 
continued  calmly  and  with  emphasis :  — 

4 'My  most  worthy  consort,  Queen  Nikotris,  inconsolable 
through  sorrow  for  her  son,  has  abdicated  the  throne  —  " 

"Permit!"  exclaimed  the  nomarch  of  Memphis.  "The 
most  worthy  viceroy  has  called  the  queen  his  consort.  This 
intelligence  is  entirely  new,  and,  first  of  all  it  must  be  verified." 

At  a  sign  from  Herhor  the  judge  of  Thebes  drew  out  an  act 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST  695 

concluded  two  days  before  between  the  most  worthy  high 
priest  of  Amon,  San-Amen-Hcrhor,  and  Queen  Nikotris,  widow 
of  Rameses  XII.,  and  mother  of  Rameses  XIII. 

After  this  explanation  came  a  grave-like  silence.  Herhor 
began  again,  — 

u  Since  my  consort,  who  is  the  only  heir  to  the  throne,  has 
abdicated,  the  reign  of  the  twentieth  dynasty  is  ended ;  we 
must  choose  a  new  sovereign. 

"This  sovereign,"  continued  Herhor,  "  should  be  a  man  of 
ripe  years,  energetic,  and  skilled  in  government.  For  this  rea 
son  I  advise  you  to  choose  for  the  highest  position  —  " 

"  Herhor !  "  cried  some  one. 

"  The  most  famous  Nitager,  the  leader  of  the  eastern  army," 
finished  Herhor. 

Nitager  sat  a  long  time  with  closed  eyes,  smiling.  At  last 
he  rose,  and  said,  — 

"Never  will  there  be  a  lack  of  men  eager  for  the  title  of 
pharaoh.  We  have  more  of  them  perhaps  than  are  needed. 
Luckily,  the  gods  themselves,  in  setting  aside  useless  rivals, 
have  indicated  a  man  most  worthy  of  power,  and  it  seems  to 
me  that  I  shall  act  wisely  if,  instead  of  receiving  the  crown 
offered  me  graciously,  I  answer,  — 

u  May  he  live  through  eternity,  his  holiness,  San-Amen- 
Herhor,  the  first  pharaoh  of  a  new  dynasty !  " 

Those  present,  with  few  exceptions,  repeated  the  shout,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  supreme  judge  brought  on  a  golden  tray 
two  caps :  the  white  one  of  Upper,  and  the  red  one  of 
Lower  Egypt.  One  of  these  was  taken  by  the  high  priest  of 
Osiris,  the  other  by  the  high  priest  of  Horns,  and  they  delivered 
them  to  Herhor,  who,  when  he  had  kissed  the  golden  serpent, 
put  them  both  on  his  head. 

Then  those  present  began  the  ceremony  of  offering  homage, 
which  lasted  a  couple  of  hours.  After  that  a  proper  act  was 
written ;  those  who  took  part  in  the  election  placed  their  seals 
on  it,  and  from  that  moment  San-Anien-Herhor  was  the  real 
pharaoh,  the  lord  of  both  worlds,  also  of  the  life  and  death  of 
his  subjects. 

Toward  evening  his  holiness  returned  wearied  to  his  cham 
bers  of  a  high  priest,  where  he  found  Pentuer,  who  had  grown 


696 


THE   PHARAOH   AND   THE   PRIEST 


thin,  and  on  whose  emaciated  face  weariness  and  sadness  were 
evident. 

When  Pentuer  prostrated  himself  the  pharaoh  raised  him  and 
said  with  a  smile,  - 

"  Thou  didst  not  sign  my  election,  thou  didst  not  give  me 
homage,  and  I  fear  that  I  shall  have  to  arrest  thee  some  time  in 
the  temple  of  Ptah.  Well,  hast  thou  been  thinking  to  leave 
me  ?  Dost  prefer  Menes  ?  " 

"  Forgive,  holiness,"  answered  the  priest,  "  but  court  life 
has  so  wearied  me  that  my  only  desire  is  to  learn  wisdom." 

"  Thou  canst  not  forget  Rameses?  "  inquired  Herhor.  "  And 
yet  thou  knewest  him  only  a  very  short  time,  while  thou  hast 
labored  with  me  during  years." 

"Blame  me  not,  holiness,  but  —  Rameses  XIII.  was  the 
first  pharaoh  to  commiserate  the  Egyptian  people." 

Herhor  smiled. 

"  O  ye  learned  men,"  said  he,  shaking  his  head.  "  But  it 
was  thou  who  didst  turn  the  attention  of  Rameses  to  the 
people,  and  now  thou  bearest  mourning  for  him  in  thy  heart, 
though  he  did  nothing  whatever  for  the  people.  It  was  thou 
who  commiserated,  not  he.  Ye  are  strange  men,  in  spite 
of  your  powerful  minds,"  continued  Herhor.  "  It  is  the  same 
thing  with  Menes.  That  priest  considers  that  he  is  the  most 
peaceful  man  in  Egypt,  though  it  was  he  who  overturned  the 
dynasty  and  smoothed  the  road  to  power  for  me.  Were  it  not 
for  his  letter  about  the  eclipse  of  the  sun  on  the  20th  of  Paofi, 
perhaps  I  and  the  late  Mefres  would  be  splitting  stones  now  in 
the  quarries. 

"  Well,  go;  go  and  greet  Menes  for  me.  Remember  also 
that  I  know  how  to  be  thankful,  which  is  the  great  secret  of 
ruling.  Tell  Menes  that  I  shall  carry  out  every  wish  of  his, 
unless  he  asks  me,  for  example,  to  abdicate.  Return  to  me 
when  thou  hast  rested,  I  will  keep  an  important  place  for 
thee." 

And  he  touched  Pentuer's  head,  which  was  inclined  sub 
missively. 


LITTLE,  BROWN, 

mitt  popular  Jf  tctt0n 


IN   THE   COUNTRY   GOD   FORGOT 

By  FRANCES    CHARLES.      12010.      338  pages.     £1.50. 

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lifelong  and  implacable  hatred.  —  Ne-~w  York  Commercial  Advertiser. 


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By  LUCY  MEACHAM  THRUSTON.  Illustrated  by  Ch. 
Grunwald.  I  zmo.  306  pages.  $1.50. 

Frances  Holloway,  the  daughter  of  a  professor  in  the  University  of 
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MISTRESS  BRENT.  A  Story  of  Lord  Baltimore's  Colony 
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By  MARY  DEVEREUX.  Illustrated  by  Harry  C.  Edwards. 
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By  FLORENCE  BROOKS  WHITEHOUSE.  Illustrated  by 
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The  Boston  Herald  says  :  "  Engages  the  attention  of  the  reader  from 
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